On Monday, July 6, U.S. President Barack Obama, in a conversation with his French counterpart Francois Hollande, supported the punitive operation in eastern Ukraine, justifying it with the unwillingness of defenders of people's republics to surrender to the Kiev authorities. Obama urged Russia to assist in the implementation of the ceasefire plan, RIA Novosti reports.
However, Obama and Russian Hollande ignored statements from Russia, who said that Russia was not a party to the Ukrainian domestic conflict. Yet again, the West accused Moscow of supporting militias in eastern Ukraine.
In the absence of any significant effort from separatists to participate in negotiations and observe ceasefire, Obama stated that the USA respected the responsibility of the Ukrainian government to maintain public order in the country and protect the population.
The leaders also agreed that Russia's responsibility was to stop destabilizing actions - for example, to prevent the transit of weapons and fighters across the borderб to stop the build-up of its own military forces near the border and put an end to the ongoing direct and indirect support for the separatists, who chose the path of violence, the statement from the White House said.
The presidents if the USA and France agreed that the United States and Europe must take further coordinated action to force Russia to pay the price if she does not take immediate steps to de-escalate the situation," concluded the White House.