BEIJING, Nov 8 —  US Secretary of State John Kerry said today that the United States and Russia had agreed to exchange information about the situation on the Russia-Ukraine border.

Ukraine’s military accused Russia yesterday of sending a column of 32 tanks and truckloads of troops into the country’s east to support pro-Russian separatists fighting government forces.

“Suffice it to say that we do have some disagreements about some of the facts on the ground with respect to Ukraine. We have agreed to exchange some information between us regarding that. We have also agreed this is a dialogue between us that will continue,” Kerry told reporters in Beijing.

But he seemed to suggest new Western sanctions against Russia were not imminent.

“The choices Russia makes will decide what happens with respect to sanctions in the long run here,” Kerry said, adding he hoped a ceasefire agreement in Ukraine would remain viable.

Kerry met Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov earlier in the day in Beijing, ahead of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders summit.

No talks are scheduled between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Barack Obama though Washington and the Kremlin have not ruled out an informal conversation on the summit sidelines. — Reuters