You're reading: White House warns Russia against ‘overtly or covertly’ seizing more Ukrainian territory

Washington – The White House warned Russia on Monday against trying to claim more territory in Ukraine "overtly or covertly".

“We’re concerned about several escalatory moves in Ukraine over the weekend, and we see those as a result of increased Russian pressure on Ukraine,” White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said in response to the latest unrest in Ukrainian cities Donetsk, Luhansk and Kharkiv.

The US government suggested that pro-Russian demonstrators who seized government buildings in three Ukrainian cities over the weekend were paid by Moscow.

“We can divine from the strong evidence that some demonstrators were paid and that they were not local residents,” Carney said.

“If Russia moves into Eastern Ukraine, either overtly or covertly, this would be a very serious escalation,” he said.

The U.S. press secretary said the Obama administration was calling on Russian President Vladimir Putin “to cease all efforts to destabilize Ukraine.”

“We caution against further military intervention,” he said once again appealing to the Russian authorities to remove troops from the borders with Ukraine.

Besides, the United States has warned that broader sanctions would be forthcoming if Russia persisted in its aggression, Carney said.