(Reuters) - There is no question of Ukraine giving up the city of Mariupol and laying down arms, Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said early on Monday.

       "There can be no question of any surrender, laying down of arms," the Ukrainska Pravda news portal cited Vereshchuk as saying. "We have already informed the Russian side about this."

       On Sunday, Russia demanded Ukrainian forces lay down their arms in the besieged eastern port city. [L2N2VN0FJ]

       (Reporting by Lidia Kelly and Ron Popeski)