Obama To Putin: Get Separatists To Give Up Guns

Barack Obama has urged his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to convince pro-Moscow activists to leave the buildings they have seized in eastern Ukraine.

In the pair's first communication regarding the crisis for more than two weeks, the US President stressed irregular forces in the country should lay down their arms.

Pro-Russian forces have taken more than a dozen government offices in recent days in the hope of following in the footsteps of the Crimean Peninsula and forcing a referendum on joining Moscow.

Unrest has engulfed many cities in the east of Ukraine

In a description of the call, the White House said: "The President expressed grave concern about Russian government support for the actions of armed, pro-Russian separatists who threaten to undermine and destabilise the government of Ukraine."

The Kremlin said reports of Russian interference were "based on unreliable information".

The West has accused Russia of being behind the seizures in order to justify expanding its control beyond Crimea, which voted to join the Russian Federation in a referendum last month.

Pro-Russian protesters at a rally in front of a seized office in Luhansk

Moscow denies this and says it has no plans to invade Ukraine.

Interim Ukraine President Oleksander Turchinov has said an "anti-terrorist operation" is underway in the Donetsk region, but will take place in a "considered" way.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, during a visit to Beijing, said the use of force against pro-Russian forces in eastern Ukraine would undermine four-way talks planned in Geneva on Thursday.

He said: "You can't send in tanks and at the same time hold talks, and the use of force would sabotage the opporunity offered by the four-party negotiations in Geneva."

Ukraine is split over its ties to Russia

Sam Kiley, Sky News Foreign Affairs Editor, said "all the cards are being held by Moscow".

He said: "Things will only change if there is a significant increase, particularly in those European sanctions, with regard to Russia so that there is a genuine economic bite, an economic consequence to the Russian activities here in eastern Ukraine.

"On the other side there are very few options open. There is no chance of any kind of military intervention by Nato or allies of the central government in Ukraine, nor is there really anything that can be done other than sanctions in terms of getting the Russians to move their position."

During the call, Mr Putin implored Washington to discourage the Ukrainian government from using force against the protesters.

A deadline from Kiev for armed men to lay down their weapons has passed and been ignored by the activists, who have seized buildings in around 10 locations.

European Union foreign ministers have also agreed to impose asset freezes and visa bans on more Russians, but stopped short of introducing broader penalties on Russia's economy.

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