German Chancellor Angela Merkel says the Group of Seven democracies have agreed that sanctions against Russia must remain in place until a cease-fire deal for eastern Ukraine is fully respected.

Merkel, closing a two-day summit in southern Germany, said Monday that the G7 was ready to step up the sanctions later if the situation called for it.

The European Union and the United States have imposed economic sanctions on Russia over its conflict with Ukraine. A ceasefire agreement reached in Minsk has been shaky, with the heaviest fighting in months breaking out in recent days between pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian forces.