European Council chief Charles Michel said Friday, December 4 that Turkey has not de-escalated its stand-off with Greece in response to diplomatic outreach and warned EU member states would now consider sanctions, AFP reports (via The Hindu).

“I think that the cat and mouse game needs to end,” Michel said, referring to Turkey’s repeated incursions into Greek waters with gas exploration vessels.

“We will have a debate at the European summit on December 10 and we are ready to use the means at our disposal”, he said.

Next week’s EU summit will be held in Brussels, with the leaders meeting face-to-face after previous meetings were demoted to videoconferences as a coronavirus prevention measure.

Turkey has been challenging Greece over maritime territory in the Eastern Mediterranean, repeatedly sending a gas exploration vessel into Greek waters.

Both countries are NATO members, and the alliance has set up a “de-confliction mechanism” to help the rival militaries avoid accidental clashes.