U.S. says proxy war with Russia not in Ukraine's interest

The United States said on Tuesday that "getting into a proxy war with Russia" is not in the interests of Ukraine, but it still weighs all the options on the table in a bid to resolve the Ukraine crisis.

"I think our belief here in the administration, and I would be surprised if others disagree, is that getting into a proxy war with Russia is not anything that's in the interests of Ukraine or in the interests of the international community," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told a press briefing.

"And certainly as we weigh options, we weigh that as one of the factors," she added.

In a statement issued on Monday, Psaki said the U.S. is " gravely concerned" by continuing violence in eastern Ukraine and accused the rebels of threatening a ceasefire deal reached last week.

On Thursday, leaders of Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany announced a peace deal that envisages a ceasefire between Ukrainian forces and rebels starting Sunday, followed by the withdrawal of heavy weapons from the front line and constitutional reform to give eastern Ukraine more autonomy.

At Tuesday's press briefing, Psaki reiterated that the U.S. believes diplomacy is the right approach to the Ukraine crisis, while noting that "the same options that were on the table a week or two weeks ago remain on the table."

The Obama Administration had been considering providing lethal assistance to Ukrainian government forces in their fight against rebels in eastern regions, which raises fears of a proxy war between the U.S. and Russia.

At a joint news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel last week, U.S. President Barack Obama said he had not decided yet whether to send lethal weapons to Kiev and had asked his team "to look at all options." Endite