US secretary of state John Kerry has urged Russia to support efforts to free military observers held by pro-Moscow forces in Ukraine.
Mr Kerry also told Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov in a phone call that the United States was concerned that Moscow's actions were "undermining stability, security and unity" in Ukraine.
The US State Department said Mr Kerry cited Russia's "provocative" troop movements along the border, Moscow's support for separatists and its "inflammatory rhetoric".
Mr Kerry also wants Russia to support - and not "denigrate" - Ukraine's effort to stabilise the country.
Pro-Russian rebels accuse the German-led team of military observers of being Nato spies.
The US and the world's other leading industrial powers say they are planning more economic penalties against Russia because of Moscow's actions in Ukraine.
The observers were travelling under the auspices of the Organisation of Security and Co-operation in Europe when they were detained in the city of Slovyansk on Friday.
Vyacheslav Ponomarev, the self-proclaimed "people's mayor" of Slovyansk, described them as "captives" and said that they were officers from Nato member states.
"As we found maps on them containing information about the location of our checkpoints, we get the impression that they are officers carrying out a certain spying mission," he said, adding they could be released in exchange for jailed pro-Russian activists.
Tim Guldimann, the OSCE's special envoy for Ukraine, told German public radio WDR "efforts are being made to solve this issue". He declined to elaborate.
German foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier also called Mr Lavrov to press for the release of the observers.
Russia's Foreign Ministry said it was taking "all measures to resolve the situation", but blamed the authorities in Kiev for failing to secure the safety of the team.
Outside Slovyansk, 150km west of Russia, Ukraine government forces has continued operations to form a security cordon as it attempts to quell unrest threatening to derail the planned May 25th presidential election.
The US and other nations in the Group of Seven have said they plan to impose additional economic sanctions on Russia in response to its actions in Ukraine. The West has accused Russia of using covert forces to encourage unrest in Ukraine and says Moscow has done nothing to pressure pro-Russian militias to free police stations and government buildings in at least 10 cities across the region.
Condemning Russia's earlier annexation of Ukraine's Crimea Peninsula, the G7 said: "We will now follow through on the full legal and practical consequences of this illegal annexation, including but not limited to the economic, trade and financial areas."
US vice president Joe Biden tried to keep building support for sanctions during phone calls to the prime ministers of Hungary and the Czech Republic.
The European Union is also planning more sanctions and ambassadors from the union's 28 member states will meet in Brussels tomorrow to add to the list of Russian officials and pro-Russian leaders in Ukraine that have been hit with asset freezes and a travel ban.
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