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Obama Says Russia Could Face Additional Sanctions Over Ukraine

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The United States has not stopped considering imposing additional sanctions against Russia, President Barack Obama said while commenting on the results of four-party talks in Geneva on the Ukrainian crisis.

WASHINGTON, April 18 (RIA Novosti) – The United States has not stopped considering imposing additional sanctions against Russia, President Barack Obama said while commenting on the results of four-party talks in Geneva on the Ukrainian crisis.

"We have put in place additional consequences that we can impose on the Russians if we do not see actual improvement of the situation on the ground,” Obama said Thursday at a news conference.

“And we are coordinating now with our European allies. My hope is that we actually do see follow-through over the next several days,” he added.

The US President said that he had talked with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on the possible sanctions.

“The president and the chancellor agreed that the United States and Europe are prepared to take further measures if this de-escalation does not occur in short order. The leaders also stressed their support for Ukraine’s May 25 presidential elections,” the White House said in a statement Thursday.

The US President called some aspects of the joint agreement signed in Geneva “promising,” including the call for disarmament of armed groups and the buildings occupied by protesters.

US Secretary of State John Kerry said Thursday the US might introduce additional sanctions against Russia if tensions in Ukraine escalate, but added the lifting of already imposed sanctions is possible if progress is seen in settling the crisis.

Russia, the US, the EU and Ukraine adopted the joint statement on the de-escalation of the Ukrainian crisis at the four-party talks in Geneva on Thursday. The roadmap called for all illegally armed groups to lay down their arms and a wide amnesty for detained protesters.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the most important result of the meeting was that all sides agreed the crisis in Ukraine should be resolved by Ukrainians themselves.

French President Francois Holland, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and European Council President Herman van Rompuy voiced hope for de-escalation after the talks. The European leaders agreed to cooperate within the EU to help defuse the crisis, depending on further developments.

In February, the Ukrainian parliament backed by far-right movements ousted President Viktor Yanukovych and scheduled an early presidential election for May 25.

Moscow has described the uprising in Kiev as an illegitimate fascist coup and a military seizure of power, which resulted in it taking steps to protect ethnic Russians in Ukraine, including the reunification with Crimea.

As a reaction to Crimea reunifying with Russia last month, the US introduced targeted sanctions, including visa bans and asset freezes, against several Russian officials.

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