French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday said any country that failed to respect the Minsk agreements would face sanctions, recalling the need to fully impose the ceasefire deal as fighting escalated in eastern Ukraine.

"Any country that would break Minsk agreement on Ukraine would face sanctions but our intention is not to impose sanctions," Hollande said in a joint news conference with Merkel.

"With the (German) Chancellor we have never stopped speaking since the (September 2014) Minsk agreements and we are more convinced than ever that they must be applied -- all the agreements, nothing but the agreements," he added.

The French and German leaders, who brokered a peace deal to resolve Ukrainian crisis, reinforced diplomatic efforts "to reach as soon as possible full implementation of the ceasefire." Endit

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