Ukraine Separatists Killed Ahead Of Talks

Three pro-Russian separatists have reportedly been shot dead at a Black Sea military base ahead of talks between Ukraine, Russia, the US and the European Union on the deepening crisis.

The circumstances of the shooting overnight, at a base of the Ukrainian National Guard in Mariupol, are not yet known.

In a post on Facebook, interior minister Arsen Avakov said: "According to preliminary data, three attackers were killed, 13 wounded and 63 detained."

He said the separatists had thrown Molotov cocktails and other incendiary devices during the clashes.

Earlier, Barack Obama threatened Moscow with further sanctions if they continued to support the pro-Russia militia destabilising Ukraine.

The US President warned his counterpart: "Mr Putin's decisions are not just bad for Ukraine, over the long term they're going to be bad for Russia.

"What I have said consistently is that each time Russia takes these kinds of steps that are designed to destabilise Ukraine and violate their sovereignty, that there are going to be consequences."

US President Barack Obama has threatened Russia with further sanctions

Mr Obama added: "They are not interested in any kind of military confrontation with us, understanding that our conventional forces are significantly superior to the Russians."

His warning came ahead of the Geneva summit, where US Secretary of State John Kerry is meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Deshchytsia and the EU foreign chief Catherine Ashton.

According to a senior US official, the diplomatic meeting in the Swiss city will mark Kiev's final attempt to engage with Russia before Moscow is hit with additional economic sanctions.

Armed men stand guard outside a building occupied by pro-Russia militia

Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin's annual televised phone-in with the nation got under way during which he rejected the presence of Russian forces in eastern Ukraine as "nonsense", and welcomed the diplomatic efforts to defuse the situation "through dialogue, not force".

However, he admitted for the first time the presence of Russian forces in Crimea - before and during the referendum to join Russia.

He said: "Our goal was to ensure the conditons for a free vote ... behind the local defence forces were our soldiers. They acted correctly, but decisively and professionally. We had to protect people from possible use of weapons."

John Kerry meets with Catherine Ashton in Geneva

In recent days tensions have increased with pro-Russian separatists stepping up activities in the east of Ukraine.

The well-armed militias have seized armoured vehicles and weapons from Ukrainian forces and occupied a number of government buildings in towns and cities.

Nato has said it is taking immediate steps to boost its military presence in eastern Europe in response to what it calls Russian "aggression" in Ukraine.

With tens of thousands of Russian troops deployed along the border with Ukraine, Nato has also agreed to deploy more air and sea forces, as well as increase the readiness of land forces, in the Baltic and eastern Mediterranean.

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