Biden speaks with Yatsenyuk, Poroshenko on Ukraine crisis

Vice President Joe Biden spoke separately Friday with Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk and President Petro Poroshenko to discuss the latest situation in eastern Ukraine, noted a statement from the White House.
In the calls Biden "Strongly condemned the offensive by Russia-backed separatists in the Ukrainian town of Debaltseve, which was directly supported by Russian regular troops operating inside Ukraine in blatant violation of all three Minsk agreements as well as Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity," said the statement.
Biden agreed with the Ukrainian leaders that Russia made false claims that the latest military operations are only the work of separatists.
The Vice President also discussed options for effective monitoring of a cease-fire and withdrawal of heavy weapons since the separatists have denied access to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's (OSCE) Special Monitoring Mission.