Britain, France and Germany put Vladmir Putin on notice over possible fresh EU sanctions as soon as Tuesday, but the common front belies longstanding divisions over how to penalise Russia for its role in the Ukraine crisis.

During a flurry of calls on Sunday, the leaders of the EU’s three biggest economies warned Moscow over further sanctions if it did not help establish a safe environment to recover bodies and investigate the MH17 crash.

While sanctions hawks stand in the lee of an international outcry over the downing of a civilian passenger plane, it remains unclear whether the disaster will be the “wake-up call for Europe” envisaged by Barack Obama, the US president. Europe lags behind the six rounds of US sanctions, both in breadth and severity.