The sanctions against Russia will lift only after full implementation of the Minsk Agreements and liberation of Crimea

The developed countries will lift sanctions against Russia only after full implementation of the Minsk Agreements and liberation of Crimea.

U.S. Ambassador to the OSCE Daniel Baer said this at the OSCE Permanent Council meeting, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"The United States and other countries have repeatedly stressed that the sanctions against Russia are linked with the full implementation of the Minsk Agreements and the end of the occupation of Crimea," Baer said.

He stressed that Russia's refusal to meet its obligations would only strengthen the confidence of the international community in the need for countermeasures. "The Russia’s refusal to withdraw troops, to stop obstructing the work of the OSCE SMM, to remove restrictions on humanitarian aid deliveries, to engage in the political process, and to release the Ukrainian hostages will only strengthen the international consensus against its actions," the U.S. Ambassador said.

Baer added that the responsibility for ending the conflict in Ukraine rested with the aggressor, i.e. Russia. "Just as Russia started the conflict in Ukraine by attacking Crimea, it must end the occupation and do it immediately," Bayer summed up.

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