U.S. slaps sanctions on Ukrainian rebels, Russian bank

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Tuesday placed sanctions on eight Ukrainian separatists and a Russian bank, warning that recent attacks by rebels armed by Russia violated a peace plan in the war-torn country.

"If Russia continues to support destabilising activity in Ukraine and violate the Minsk agreements and implementation plan, the already substantial costs it faces will continue to rise," Adam Szubin, the Treasury Department's acting undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said in a statement announcing the sanctions.

(Reporting by Jason Lange; Editing by Andrea Ricci)