The number of people killed in eastern Ukraine since last April has now topped 6,000, despite successive ceasefires, a UN spokesman said Monday.
Leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) nations denounced what they called Russia's "clear violation" of Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity.
It is time for Western powers to abandon their Cold War thinking, stop trying to exclude Russia from the political crisis they failed to mediate.
Ukraine put its armed forces on the highest alert after Russian President Putin declared he had the right to use military force to protect Russian citizens.
US President Barack Obama told President Vladimir Putin on Saturday that Russia was flouting international law and risking political isolation by its military incursion into Ukraine's Crimea region, as international condemnation increased.
War is unlikely to break out in Ukraine even though tension increased when the Russian parliament granted permission to send troops into the country, a direct rebuff of the West's warnings, observers said.
Ukraine's new prime minister urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to pull back his military on Sunday in the conflict between the two countries, warning that "we are on the brink of disaster".
Ukraine's acting Defense Minister Igor Tenyukh on Sunday dismissed Navy Commander Denis Berezovsky, who reportedly swore allegiance to pro-Russian Crimean authorities earlier in the day.
War is unlikely to break out in Ukraine even though tension increased when the Russian parliament granted permission to send troops into the country, a direct rebuff of the West's warnings, observers said.
China has been urging all parties in Ukraine to address their domestic disputes peacefully in accordance with the country's law.
Putin has shared his assessment of critical situation in Ukraine with several world leaders, justifying Russia's potential military move in that country.
Ukraine's acting President Alexandr Turchynov said he has placed armed forces on full combat alert to warn against any military intervention.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has not yet decided on the use of military force in Ukraine despite winning the green light from the upper house of parliament.
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