Too Early to Say Whether Russia Violated Ceasefire in Syria - White House

White House spokesperson Josh Earnest confirmed on Monday that it's preliminarily to blame Russia for violations of the cessation of hostilities deal in Syria.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The United States says it is still too early to determine whether Russia has violated the cessation of hostilities deal in Syria, but Washington is aware of alleged violations to the agreement since it came into effect over the weekend, White House spokesperson Josh Earnest said during a press briefing on Monday.

When asked about the reported violations and whether it was too early to tell whether Russia had violated the terms of the ceasefire in Syria Earnest replied, "that is correct."

On February 23, the United States and Russia reached an agreement to implement a ceasefire in Syria, to ensure humanitarian aid flows and take a tangible step toward a political resolution of the five-year-old conflict.

The White House said questions had been raised over who Moscow was targeting in Syria, but that the parties to the conflict would follow the process in place to determine whether the ceasefire was being carried out.

During the briefing Earnest also noted that Washington was aware of alleged violations to the ceasefire and said an investigation was underway to look into those reports, but declined to say which group they thought was responsible.

Last Friday, the cessation of hostilities came into effect at midnight on February 27 Damascus time, following the United States and Russia reaching an agreement earlier in February, on a ceasefire between the Syrian government and opposition groups to help end the country's ongoing civil war.

Following the implementation of the ceasefire, reports soon emerged accusing Russia and Syria of carrying out airstrikes against areas controlled by the allegedly moderate Syrian opposition included in the ceasefire deal, accusations that Moscow has denied.