U.S. President Barack Obama and European leaders are threatening new sanctions on Russia after pro-Russian rebels launched a deadly rocket attack on the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol.

On a state visit to India Sunday,  Obama said he would “ratchet up” pressure on Moscow in the wake of the attack the day before that killed at least 30 people and injured more than 80 others when the rockets slammed into a market and apartment buildings.

“We are deeply concerned about the latest break in the (Ukrainian) cease-fire and the aggression that these separatists, with Russian backing, Russian equipment, Russian financing, Russian training and Russian troops, are conducting,” Obama said.

“We will continue to take the approach that we have taken in the past, which is to ratchet up the pressure on Russia, and I will look at all additional options that are available to us short of military confrontation and try to address this issue,” he added.

‘Greater acts of violence’

Some European leaders have recently talked of easing economic sanctions against Moscow. But Donald Tusk, the former Polish prime minister who now chairs European Union summits, tweeted in a message, “Once again, appeasement encourages the aggressor to greater acts of violence. Time to step up our policy based on cold facts, not illusions.”

Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko said that radio and telephone conversations intercepted by Kyiv prove that Russian-backed separatists were responsible for the Mariupol attack.

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Kyiv’s forces were responsible for increased fighting in recent days in eastern Ukraine.

Lavrov told EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini in a phone call Sunday that Moscow wants the EU to pressure Ukraine to negotiate with the rebels to implement a frequently broken cease-fire agreed to last September.

Mogherini said later she is convening an extraordinary meeting of the EU bloc’s foreign ministers to discuss Ukraine on Thursday.

After the Mariupol attack, Poroshenko vowed to protect Ukrainian territory.  He cut short his trip to Saudi Arabia for the late King Abdullah’s funeral to instead chair an emergency meeting of Ukraine’s security council.

Poroshenko spoke about the situation in a telephone call Saturday with U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, who condemned the attacks and violence he said was initiated by Russia-backed separatists.  

White House officials said the two expressed grave concern about Russia’s disregard for its commitments under the September Minsk cease-fire agreement.

Latvia, which currently holds the European Union’s rotating presidency, called for the bloc to hold an emergency meeting with its foreign ministers to discuss the situation.

‘Utter disregard of cease-fire’

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the offensive “is in utter disregard of the cease-fire.”  

Stoltenberg said Russian troops have been supporting rebel operations with surface-to-air missiles and “advanced multiple rocket-launcher systems.”

Both Stoltenberg and Mogherini urged Russia to stop providing the rebels with military and financial support.  Mogherini called on Russia to use its influence to halt the offensive.

Dozens of mourners held a minute of silence and lit candles in Kyiv’s Independence Square Saturday evening to commemorate those killed in Mariupol.

Some material for this report came from Reuters. [Read More]

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Source: VOA News: War and Conflict