Merkel and Hollande are talking to journalists in Paris right now. This is what they've said so far (from RFE/RL's news desk):
German Chancellor Angela Merkel says it will be a "difficult task" to implement the Minsk agreements.
French President Francois Hollande says he and German Chancellor Angela Merkel are more convinced than ever that the Minsk agreements must be implemented.
Hollande says he can’t confirm that Russian tanks have recently crossed the Ukrainian border.
More on the Hollande-Merkel presser:
The French president says he and the German chancellor are “more convinced than ever” that the Minsk agreements aimed at putting an end to fighting in Ukraine should be fully implemented.
Francois Hollande spoke at a joint press conference with Angela Merkel in Paris on February 20.
He said, "The cease-fire has been violated several times. It must now be fully respected along the entire front line."
Meanwhile, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said he would meet with his Russian, German, and Ukrainian counterparts in Paris on March 3 to discuss the Ukraine conflict.
Fighting between Russian-backed separatists and government forces continued in eastern Ukraine after Hollande and Merkel brokered the cease-fire deal signed in the Belarusian capital last week.
Ukraine's military said more than 20 Russian tanks, 10 missile systems, and bus-loads of fighters had crossed Ukraine's border in the past 24 hours.
