International

The United States will not lift its "Crimean" sanctions against Russia even if the Minsk agreements are implemented, US State Department spokesman Jeff Rathke said Wednesday.

Asked by journalists whether anti-Russian sanctions regarding Crimea will be effective even after implementation of the Minsk deals, Rathke answered in the affirmative.

He said the United States keeps considering Crimea part of Ukraine and supporting Ukraine’s territorial integrity.

The question on Crimea was posed to the State Department spokesman in connection with today’s speech in Washington’s Brookings Institution by US Vice President Joseph Biden on the topic of Ukraine and relations with Russia, who made it clear that sanctions will remain in force at least until the end of the year, because before that, it would be too early to judge whether the Minsk deals have been implemented.