US President Barack Obama on Sunday said new international sanctions set to come into force against Russia would send a message that it must stop its "provocation" in eastern Ukraine.

US President Barack Obama on Sunday said new international sanctions set to come into force against Russia would send a message that it must stop its "provocation" in eastern Ukraine.

"It is important for us to take further steps sending a message to Russia that these kinds of destabilising activities taking place in Ukraine has to stop," Obama said at a press conference in Malaysia.

Obama spoke a day after G7 nations said that they would impose new sanctions on Russia within days, accusing Moscow of doing nothing to honor an agreement forged in Geneva aimed at easing tensions in Ukraine.

"So long as Russia continues down a path of provocation rather than trying to resolve this issue peacefully and de-escalate it, there are going to be consequences and those consequences will continue to grow," he said.