BRUSSELS, Sha'ban 17, 1436, June 04, 2015, SPA -- The European Union warned on Thursday that a flare-up in fighting in eastern Ukraine could create a "new spiral" of violence and recalled that EU leaders have said they could tighten sanctions on Russia, Reuters reported. Calling clashes on Wednesday near Donetsk the worst violation since an EU-brokered ceasefire took effect in February, a spokeswoman for the EU's executive Commission told a news briefing: "This renewed intensive fighting is likely to create a new spiral of violence and suffering." She called on all sides to respect the Minsk ceasefire agreement and recalled that EU leaders in March had linked future decisions on easing or tightening their sanctions against Moscow to implementation of that deal. "The leaders have made a very clear link between the restrictive measures and the full implementation of Minsk, but they have also said that they remain if necessary (ready to) take further steps," she said. "This remains the EU's position." --SPA 14:19 LOCAL TIME 11:19 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w