European Union leaders are considering imposing sanctions against Russia ahead of a summit on Monday to discuss the situation in Georgia, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said yesterday.

Asked at a news conference in Paris about measures that could be taken over Moscow's refusal to pull back troops in Georgia, Kouchner said: "Sanctions are being considered and many other means as well".

The comments were immediately dismissed by Kouchner's Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, who said they were the product of a "sick imagination".