WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama hinted at imposing additional sanctions against Russia while Republican lawmakers urged the White House on Friday to arm the Ukrainian military for a possible Russian invasion.

“We have put in place additional consequences that we can impose on the Russians if we do not see actual improvement of the situation on the ground,” Mr Obama said at a White House news conference on Thursday. “And we are coordinating now with our European allies.”

The White House said that Mr Obama telephoned German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday evening and discussed the possible sanctions with her.

He also spoke with British Prime Minister David Cameron while Vice President Joe Biden talked to Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev, who is also commander in chief of the Bulgarian army.

But the US president also indicated that he still hoped for diplomacy to succeed in resolving the Ukrainian crisis as diplomats convened in Geneva this week to seek a peaceful resolution to this dispute.

“My hope is that we actually do see follow-through over the next several days,” said Mr Obama while commenting on the results of four-party talks in Geneva on Thursday. He called some aspects of the agreement signed in Geneva “promising,” including the call for disarmament of armed groups.

Mr Obama also explained why the United States and its Western allies were talking about bringing more sanctions against Russia while still pinning their hopes on a diplomatic solution.

“I don’t think, given past performance, that we can count on” Russia agreeing to a diplomatic solution, he said.

The White explained that President Obama and Chancellor Merkel “agreed that the United States and Europe are prepared to take further measures if this de-escalation does not occur in short order.” The two leaders “also stressed their support for Ukraine’s May 25 presidential elections,” the White House added.