REUTERS

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo states that sanctions introduced against Russia will remain in place until the killings in Donbas stop.

"Russia's aggression in Ukraine has led to the senseless loss of thousands of lives in the Donbas. Today, I joined Foreign Minister VPrystaiko to honor their memories. Sanctions against Russia will remain in place until the actions that led to these tragic deaths cease," Pompeo tweeted January 31.

The U.S. secretary of state also posted pictures of himself alongside the leader of the newly-created Orthodox Church of Ukraine, Epifaniy, laying flowers at the Remembrance Wall monument at Kyiv's Mykhailivska Square.