US ''deeply concerned'' by Ukraine attacks

US President Barack Obama expressed deep concern Sunday about ceasefire violations in Ukraine and pledged to intensify pressure on Russia, after rocket attacks on a government-held port killed 30 people.

"We are deeply concerned about the latest break in the ceasefire," Obama said at a press conference in New Delhi.

He blamed "separatists with Russian backing, Russian equipment, Russian financing, Russian training and Russian troops" for the strikes on Saturday that also left 95 people injured.

The attack on a residential district and a market in Mariupol has heightened global pressure on Russia to rein in the insurgents and halt a nine-month conflict that has already killed 5,000 people.

Obama pledged to increase pressure on Russia and, in cooperation with US allies including Europe, to look at all options short of military confrontation to tackle the issue.

"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 said.

"If Mr Putin and if Russia are hell-bent on engaging in military conflicts, their military is more powerful than Ukraine's," Obama said, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"The question is going to be whether they continue to pursue a path that not only is bad for the people of Ukraine, but is... bad for the people of Russia."

Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko was chairing an emergency security meeting on Sunday to forge a response to the attack.

Ukraine observed a day of mourning for the victims, lowering flags in government-controlled parts of the country and halting subway trains for a minute at noon in major cities such as Kiev.

AFP