The Vatican's press secretary Father Federico Lombardi spoke out on the situation earlier, he said: "The See is following attentively the situations of crisis in various parts of the world, including the eastern regions of Ukraine.
"In the presence of an escalation of the conflict that has claimed many innocent victims, the Holy Father Francis has renewed his appeal for peace on several occasions.
"By these interventions, while inviting the faithful to pray for those who have been killed and injured as a result of the hostilities, the Pope also underlined the urgency of resuming negotiations as the only possible way out of the logic of mounting accusations and reactions."
His comments come as the UK Foreign Secretary says the situation in eastern Ukraine now resembles "a small scale conventional war."
Speaking in a statement to the House of Commons, Philip Hammond said the UK would not be supplying lethal weapons to Ukraine although it would be sending helmets, fuel and body armour.
Yesterday German Chancellor Angela Merkel met with US President Barack Obama to discuss ways forward.