WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is taking a wary, wait-and-see approach toward the new Ukraine peace agreement, which was reached without direct American input and as the U.S. considers whether to give defensive weapons to Ukraine and slap fresh sanctions on Russia.

Despite reservations about the agreement, U.S. officials say any action on lethal aid or new sanctions is on hold at least for the moment.

While welcoming the deal in principle, the administration is concerned that the compromise — struck on Thursday after 16 hours of negotiations in Minsk among the leaders of France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine — may give too much to Russia and the pro-Russian rebels. U.S. officials are highly skeptical that either the rebels or Russia will abide by the pact, which lays out a series of phased steps for Ukraine and the separatists to take, starting with a cease-fire to begin on Sunday.

That skepticism was evident in notably cautious statements about the agreement issued by the White House, which described it as a “potentially significant step,” and Secretary of State John Kerry, who noted that there is “a long road ahead before achieving peace and the full restoration of Ukraine’s sovereignty.”

Should Russia and the rebels not comply, U.S. officials say they are ready to raise the costs for Moscow with additional sanctions and, as fighting intensified in recent weeks, publicly floated the idea of sending defensive weapons to help Kiev defend itself.

News that the White House was reconsidering its previous opposition to arms transfers was followed in quick successions by a flurry of European and Russian diplomatic activity that led to the Minsk meeting.

Though they may have played a part in spurring the diplomacy, the threat of potential weapons transfers and new, tougher sanctions has been pushed to the back burner. Decisions on them will wait until there is an assessment of the results of the Minsk deal, the officials said.