Eight Ukrainian soldiers have been killed and several dozen wounded in continued fighting in eastern Ukraine. The violence comes just after Ukraine and Russia agreed to a new ceasefire at a summit in Belarus. But the truce will not take effect until Sunday. New shelling has been reported today in the rebel strongholds of Luhansk and Donetsk. In Washington, State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki said despite the ceasefire, the United States has not ruled out new sanctions on Russia or sending military aid to Ukraine.

Jen Psaki: “An agreement is a piece of paper, unless it’s implemented. And so, what we’ve seen to date is that Russia and Russian-backed separatists have not taken the steps to implement. We will see what they do from here. We have had long ongoing conversations with our European partners about additional steps that could be taken. And if it’s not implemented or there is additional aggression, that’s something we will continue to discuss.”

The European Union has also threatened new sanctions on Russia if the deal is broken.