US President, Barack Obama has warned the Russia President, Vladimir Putin, that the cost of Russia will rise if it continues its “aggressive actions” in Ukraine.
Mr Obama in a telephone statement, urged Vladimir Putin to seize the opportunity to find a peaceful solution to the war that has raged since April last year.
Mr Putin is to meet with the leaders of France, Germany and Ukraine at a summit in Belarus on Wednesday. The summit in Minsk, Belarus capital, is expected to focus on securing a ceasefire and the withdrawal of heavy weapons, as well as the creation of a demilitarized zone.
A statement from White House says, “If Russia continues its aggressive actions in Ukraine, including by sending troops, weapons, and financing to support the separatists, the costs for Russia will rise.”
President Obama called Mr Putin on the eve of the talks to reiterate US support for Ukraine, just days after he refused to rule out supplying “lethal defensive weapons” to Kiev if diplomacy fails.
Russia, however, has warned the West that sending arms to Ukraine would worsen the crisis.
On Tuesday, four soldiers and at least eight civilians were killed in rocket attacks on a key military base and a residential area in Kramatorsk. Government officials said the rockets were fired from a rebel-held area, but separatists denied being behind the attack.
Unconfirmed number of persons was killed and several injured when a shell hit a bus station in rebel-controlled Donetsk early on Wednesday. The body of a man was seen behind the wheel of a minibus after a shell fell through the roof of the station, burning up the vehicle and another beside it.
Emergency services at the scene said another person had died in hospital following the attack, while two people were seriously wounded. There was no immediate comment from rebel authorities or the Kiev-controlled regional administration.
More than 5,400 people have died since the conflict began and civilian casualties have risen in recent weeks.
