US Vice President Joe Biden called on Russia to refrain from further "provocative behavior" and use its leverage to convince pro-Russian protesters in eastern Ukraine to evacuate the buildings they have seized.

      Biden’s urge came at a joint press conference in Kiev with interim Prime Minister Arseny Yatsenyuk.

      Moscow and Kiev have been exchanging accusations, blaming each other for the failure to fulfill last week's international agreement signed in Geneva.

      The US is ready to go ahead with the third round of sanctions to demonstrate the ‘costs’ and push for de-escalation, State Department spokesperson Jennifer Psaki told the editor-in-chief of the Echo of Moscow radio station.

      Washington is also prepared to assist Poland, an “important NATO partner” after it called for a US military unit to be deployed on its territory.

      Earlier, Russia-IC reported that Germany expects China to play a bigger role in the resolution of the Ukrainian crisis by influencing Russia.

      The German economy minister expects to raise the issue during the talks with his Chinese counterpart on Tuesday.

      Berlin wants China to convince Russia to de-escalate the tension.

      Russia has sparked a wave of criticism after it incorporated Crimea into its territory following a referendum on the peninsula with a large ethnic Russian population.

      The US and the EU imposed a raft of sanctions on Russian officials and individuals with close ties to the Kremlin. The US also put space and military cooperation on hold, followed by some of its NATO allies, including the UK.

      The US sanctions have encountered a vigorous response from the Russian Foreign Ministry which came up with a black list of its own.