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 Pro-Moscow separatists, backed by what NATO says are Russian
troops, have launched an offensive in southeastern Ukraine and
President Barack Obama said Washington was considering all options
short of military action to isolate Russia.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied any Russian involvement in
the fighting and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused the West of
whipping up anti-Russian hysteria to justify extending economic
sanctions against Moscow.
"Instead of increasing pressure on those who refuse to engage in
dialogue to resolve the conflict peacefully, we see renewed talks
about blackmailing Russia economically," RIA news agency quoted
Peskov as saying.
 "Russia has never agreed with such threats and such threats and
blackmail have never led to anything and never will ... renewed
threats of increased economic pressure on Russia are an absolutely
destructive, unjustified and ultimately short-sighted approach."
Lavrov said the separatists in Ukraine were responding to attacks by
government forces and the only way forward was through direct
dialogue.
"We see attempts to derail the peace process and attempts again and
again by the Kiev leadership to solve the problem by using force to
suppress the southeast. These attempts lead nowhere," Lavrov told a
news conference.
The European Union has called an emergency meeting of foreign
ministers of its 28 member states for Thursday.
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"We expect our Western partners ... not to do anything that gives
the Kiev authorities the impression that all their actions
automatically will win support in the West," Lavrov said.
He accused the West of "chronic" finger-pointing at Moscow over the
Ukraine conflict, in which more than 5,000 people have been killed
in more than nine months of fighting.
Lavrov said it would have been naive to believe the separatists
would accept being shelled by government forces without responding.
He said the rebels had started actions to "eliminate the positions
from which the Ukrainian armed forces had shelled populated areas
with heavy weapons".
(Additional reporting by Lidia Kelly and Polina Devitt, Writing by
Timothy Heritage, editing by Elizabeth Piper)
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