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Head of the United States Mission to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Daniel Baer spoke at the organization’s meeting in Vienna March 3, saying that the sanctions imposed against the Russian Federation will remain in place until Moscow ends occupation of Ukrainian territory.
The U.S. diplomat noted that “two years ago last week, Russian forces covertly and illegally entered Ukraine and began Russia’s occupation of Crimea.”
“We call on the Russian Federation to end its aggression against Ukraine,” said Baer. “We remind the Russian Federation that the economic sanctions against it will remain in place until the Minsk agreements are fully implemented, and Russia ends its occupation of Ukrainian territory.”
The U.S. Ambassador expressed Washington’s concern that “the number of observed ceasefire violations in eastern Ukraine is at the highest level since August 2015, exceeding 3,800 in the last week.”
“Combined-Russian separatist forces are responsible for the majority of them,” he said.
According to Baer, “combined Russian-separatist forces have also attacked Ukrainian positions with proscribed heavy weapons, including grad rocket launchers, high caliber mortars, and heavy artillery.”
Read alsoEU to continue sanctions against Russia in March - WSJ“This violence threatens progress toward finding a peaceful resolution to the conflict and calls into question Russia’s and the separatists’ commitment to full implementation of the Minsk agreements,” the diplomat said.
As UNIAN reported earlier, U.S. President Barack Obama on March 3 continued for one year the sanctions against the Russian Federation over its aggression against Ukraine.