Leading American senators have called for
the US to send weapons to help Ukraine
fight what they say is "a Russian
invasion".
Robert Menendez, head of the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee, said Russia's
President Vladimir Putin must face a cost for
his "aggression".
Senator John McCain said: "This is not an
incursion. This is an invasion."
Earlier, Mr Putin called for talks to discuss
the matter of "statehood" for eastern
Ukraine.
The conflict in eastern Ukraine erupted in
April following Russia's annexation of
Ukraine's southern Crimea peninsula a
month before. Some 2,600 people have died
since April.
Pro-Russian separatists have been gaining
ground on Ukrainian forces in recent days,
in both the Luhansk and Donetsk regions,
and further south around the port of
Mariupol.
'On the table'
Speaking on CNN, Mr Menendez, a Democrat,
said: "We should provide the Ukrainians
with the type of defensive weapons that
will impose a cost upon Putin for further
aggression.
Ukrainian soldiers overlook Mariupol,
where defences are being strengthened
Residents of Mariupol form a human
chain in protest against Russia's actions
John McCain called for "strong sanctions"
on Russia
"This is no longer the question of some
rebel separatists, this is a direct invasion by
Russia. We must recognise it as that."
He said the issue "may very well be on the
table right now" for President Barack
Obama.
Senator McCain told CBS's Face the Nation
that Mr Putin was "an old KGB colonel that
wants to restore the Russian empire".
Mr McCain called for "strong sanctions",
before adding that Ukraine must be
supplied with weapons: "Give them the
weapons they need. Give them the
wherewithal they need. Give them the
ability to fight."
Representative Mike Rogers, chairman of
the House Intelligence Committee, told Fox
News: "If we don't provide 'small and
effective' now, you're going to get very big
and very ugly later."
Pro-Russian rebels have been gaining
ground in recent days
Vladimir Putin visits Siberia. He called for
discussions on east Ukrainian "statehood"
In Ukraine, there were reports of a first
naval encounter in the conflict.
At the scene: BBC's Richard Galpin,
Mariupol
As we drove south from Dnipropetrovsk to
the strategic port city of Mariupol, we soon
saw how the Ukrainian army is now
building up its forces to protect the south-
eastern city from the assault threatened by
pro-Russian rebels.
A train carrying about 20 Grad multiple
rocket-launchers as well as armoured
vehicles, ammunition and troops, was
heading in the same direction as us.
Further down the road we came across
smaller groups of armoured vehicles with
heavily-armed troops sitting on top. Like
those on board the train, they were
reluctant to talk about their mission.
But Mariupol is preparing for the worst with
soldiers digging trenches and using huge
concrete tank-traps to block roads.
It's not clear if or when the separatist rebels
- and quite possibly Russian troops - will
launch an attack on this port city of almost
half-a-million people which lies on the coast
of the Azov Sea.
But already the authorities in Mariupol say
two coastguard ships came under attack on
Sunday leaving six sailors injured.
Pro-Russian separatists fired artillery shells
at a Ukrainian patrol vessel in the Azov Sea,
with the Ukrainian military saying a rescue
operation was under way.
The rebels have gained ground in the far
south-east, pushing towards Mariupol,
where Ukrainian troops and local residents
are strengthening defences.
But many have fled the city of 500,000
people.
Ukraine and the West blame Russian military
support for the recent rebel gains, saying
armoured columns have crossed the border.
Russia denies military involvement.
Earlier, Mr Putin said the issue of
"statehood" for eastern Ukraine needed to
be discussed to ensure the interests of local
people were "definitely upheld".
"Russia cannot stand aside when people are
being shot at almost at point blank," he said,
describing the rebels' actions as "the natural
reaction of people who are defending their
rights".
The West, Mr Putin said, should have
foreseen Russia's reaction to the situation,
adding it was impossible to predict how the
crisis would end.
War in eastern Ukraine: The human cost
At least 2,593 people killed since mid-
April (not including 298 passengers and
crew of Malaysian Airlines MH17, shot
down in the area) - UN report on 29
August
951 civilians killed in Donetsk region
alone, official regional authorities said -
20 August
In some particularly dangerous places,
such as Luhansk region, victims are said
to have been buried informally, making
accurate counts difficult
Rebels (and some military sources)
accuse the government of concealing
true numbers
155,800 people have fled elsewhere in
Ukraine while at least 188,000 have
gone to Russia
Mr Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, later
said the president's remarks on "statehood"
should not be taken to mean an actual
separate entity, and that the Ukrainian crisis
was a "domestic" one.
Mr Putin's comments came after the EU gave
Russia a one-week ultimatum to reverse
course in Ukraine or face more sanctions.
Mr Putin dismissed the EU threat, accusing it
of "backing a coup d'etat" in Ukraine.
The EU and US have already imposed asset
freezes and travel bans on many senior
Russian officials and separatist leaders in
eastern Ukraine.
On Saturday, Ukrainian President Petro
Poroshenko said: "I think that we are very
close to the point of no return. Point of no
return is full-scale war."

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