REUTERS

"Now, there's been some progress towards the implementation of Minsk, and that's a good thing – progress by both sides. There needs to be more," U.S. State Department spokesperson John Kirby said at a daily press briefing in Washington, DC, on August 30.

Read alsoMinsk accords need urgent progress: Merkel"Nothing's changed about our view that it's still not time for 'business as usual' with Russia across a wide variety of sectors given the concerns that we still have about their actions in Ukraine, the occupation of Crimea, and the tensions that still exist as we try to get Minsk implemented," he remarked.