U.S. to roll back sanctions, if Russia fully implements Minsk agreements - U.S. embassy in Russia
MOSCOW. March 4 (Interfax) - The United States will be ready to lift a considerable part of the sanctions against Russia given the full implementation of the Minsk agreements on Ukraine, but the sanctions related to Crimea will remain in any case, the U.S. embassy in Moscow has announced.
"If Russia and the separatists it backs fully implement their commitments under the Minsk agreements of September 2014 and the commitments under the February 12 implementation plan, we will roll back significant sanctions," press secretary of the embassy William Stevens told Interfax.
Nevertheless, "sanctions related to Crimea will remain in place regardless of Russia's actions in eastern Ukraine and regardless of the implementation of ceasefire agreement in eastern Ukraine," he said.
As for the conditions for the lifting of sanctions, among them the U.S. diplomat named "the complete withdrawal of all heavy weapons and foreign fighters from Ukraine, full and unfettered access by international monitors to separatist-controlled territory to verify ceasefire and withdrawal compliance, and the release of all prisoners of war."
"Crucially, the conditions for rolling back sanctions also include the restoration to Kyiv the control of its side of the border with Russia, which Russia and the separatists signed on to do in Minsk," Stevens said.
At the same time he noted: "We will continue to impose costs on Russia for its violations of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity and to press Russia where we believe it is playing a detrimental role."
The diplomat noted that "the United States and Russia should continue to work together on a range of issues that affect our mutual national security concerns."
"The United States and Russia have global security responsibilities and our countries need to maintain an ability to cooperate and work together," he said.
