U.S. President Barack Obama and European leaders held a video conference on Tuesday to discuss the Ukraine crisis, and France said all agreed that a "strong reaction" would be necessary if the ceasefire reached last month in Minsk was violated.
The talk held at 11:30 a.m. EST (1630 GMT) between Obama and the leaders of Britain, France, Germany and Italy, as well as the head of the European Council, was also to cover global security issues, the White House said.
The virtual meeting overlapped a speech before a joint session of Congress by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose appearance stirred controversy because it was orchestrated by Obama's Republican rivals.
The United States has also said it is still considering the possibility of sending Kiev defensive weapons.
"They have agreed that a strong reaction from the international community would be necessary in case of a major breach of the process put in place in Minsk," the statement read.
Ukraine and Western governments have accused Russia of sending troops and weapons to support separatists in eastern Ukraine despite the peace deal reached on Feb. 12. Moscow has denied providing such support.
European leaders on Monday said they agreed that the OSCE needed a broader role as observers of the ceasefire agreement and of the removal of weapons.
Besides Hollande, British Prime Minister David Cameron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi held the call with Obama. European Council President Donald Tusk also participated.
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