US President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry were both warning Russia over the current crisis in Ukraine.
US President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry were both warning Russia over the current crisis in Ukraine.
After a meeting with his French counterpart, Kerry told reporters that Russia must prove "in the next hours" that it is working to help disarm separatist groups in restive eastern Ukraine.
"We are in full agreement that it is critical for Russia to show in the next hours, literally, that they're moving to help disarm the separatists, to encourage them to disarm, to call on them to lay down their weapons and to begin to become part of a legitimate process," he told reporters in Paris.
Earlier on Wednesday, Obama warned additional sanctions would be in store if Russia does not move swiftly to “reduce tensions” in eastern Ukraine.
Following Thursday meeting, Kerry said US and EU leaders agreed that sanctions needed to be ready.
"But our preference is not to have to be into a sanctions mode. We would like to see a cooperative effort between the United States, Europe and Russia and the Ukrainians."
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, meanwhile, hinted at an easing of the situation in Ukraine.
"There is some sort of -- but we must be very careful -- of a de-escalation," he said in English, adding a conversation had taken place Wednesday between the French, German, Russian and Ukrainian leaders.
"There are commitments which have been taken and we hope that it will be implemented today, and in the coming days."
During a Wednesday telephone call with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, Obama also vowed to press Russia to persuade separatist groups to abide by a ceasefire agreement, the White House said.
The two leaders agreed to "coordinate measures to impose additional costs on Russia if it fails to take rapid action to deescalate the situation in eastern Ukraine," where 400 people have died in unrest since April, it added in a statement.
Obama and Renzi "also stressed the need for Russia to use its influence over separatist groups to persuade them to abide by the cease-fire and for Russia to take immediate concrete steps to stop the flow of weapons and militants across the border," the statement said.
