“Part of what we’ll be discussing is how do we make sure that we are able to monitor effectively what’s happening on the ground in Ukraine, and how do we continue to maintain pressure on Russia, on the separatists, to abide by these agreements,” Obama said.
Obama noted the unity between the United States and the European Union on the issue of Ukraine.
On February 12, the leaders of Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine worked out a set of measures in the Belarusian capital of Minsk to alleviate the conflict in southeastern Ukraine.
The main points of the deal include the implementation of a ceasefire by both sides, in force from February 15, and heavy weapons pullout within two weeks.
Independence supporters claim they completed the heavy weapons withdrawal on Sunday, thus meeting the deadline imposed by the Minsk deal.
Earlier on Saturday, Ukrainian military spokesman Andriy Lysenko said that the Kiev forces are continuing the third stage in the pullout of heavy arms.
Kiev launched a military offensive against independence supporters in the Eastern Ukraine regions of Donetsk and Luhansk last April. The confrontation has claimed more than 6,000 civilian lives, according to the UN.
