Ukraine's new president has enlisted support from the leaders of Germany and France for a call on Sunday to Vladimir Putin as a ceasefire deadline looms and after pro-Russian rebels released more European monitors.
Russia on Saturday expressed hopes for the success of the OSCE monitoring mission in Ukraine, while stressing the observers were excluded from Crimea after its takeover by Moscow.
Rallies were planned across Ukraine on Sunday as the troubled ex-Soviet state struggled to contain upheaval amid a standoff between Russia and the West over Crimea that shows no sign of easing.