WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The independence supporters in eastern Ukraine and Russia do not comply with provisions of the Minsk reconciliation agreement reached on February 12, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said on Wednesday.
“We believe that it is important for all sides to live up to that [Minsk] agreement, it is also crystal clear that the Russia-backed separatists and Russia themselves have not lived up to their commitments that they made in the context of those [Minsk] negotiations,” Earnest told journalists during a press briefing.
Earnest added that Russia and eastern Ukraine’s independence supporters may incur “greater costs” and “should be mindful of that as they consider their next steps.”
Later in the day, the Normandy Quartet — comprised of the leaders of Germany, France, Ukraine and Russia — are expected to discuss the current situation in eastern Ukraine by phone.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry discussed the implementation of the Minsk agreements on reconciliation in Ukraine in a phone conversation Wednesday. Lavrov noted the importance of Kiev's direct dialogue with Donetsk and Luhansk.
Moscow has repeatedly denied the US accusations of its involvement in the eastern Ukraine crisis.
