U.S. to keep sanctions in place until Russia withdraws its forces from Donbas – Tillerson

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson states that Washington will keep sanctions in place until Russia withdraws its forces from Ukraine.

Tillerson stated this during his speech at the 24th meeting of the OSCE Ministerial Council in Vienna, Reuters reports.

"In eastern Ukraine we join our European partners in maintaining sanctions until Russia withdraws its forces from Donbas and meets its Minsk commitments,” he said.

Referring to increasing ceasefire violations recorded by the OSCE’s Special Monitoring Mission, Tillerson said that “we should be clear about the source of this violence.”

“Russia is arming, leading, training and fighting alongside anti-government forces. We call on Russia and its proxies to end its harassment, intimidation and its attacks on the OSCE special monitoring mission," the U.S. Secretary of State said.