Victoria Nuland, US assistant secretary of state for European affairs, assured Ukrainian authorities during her Kyiv visit on July 16 that the US would not stop pressuring Russia over the Ukraine crisis despite Russia’s role in reaching a nuclear deal with Iran adding that the Kremlin must fulfill its part of obligations under the Minsk ceasefire agreement, just like Ukraine does.
"The United States is not in the business of trading one thing for another in its international relations,” said Nuland, according to Ukraine Today.
According to the official, US President Barack Obama recently held a telephone conversation with Vladimir Putin, stressing that Moscow has, on its part, to ensure “that there is a full ceasefire, that there is a full exchange of hostages, that there is a full withdrawal of all weapons and foreign forces, and that the border is returned to Ukraine."
Victoria Nuland has also praised efforts of the Ukrainian authorities to follow recommendations of the country’s western partners by working toward granting the regions some powers of self-rule.
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