U.S. mission to OSCE: Sanctions on Russia to remain in place until full control of Crimea returned to Ukraine

Harry Kamian, the Chargé d’Affaires, a.i. of the U.S. Mission to the OSCE, made the relevant statement at the OSCE Permanent Council meeting in Vienna.

"United States again calls upon Russia to end its campaign of repression in occupied Crimea and return control of the Crimean peninsula to Ukraine. The United States is resolute in its support for Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence, unity, and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders. We do not, nor will we ever, recognize Russia’s purported annexation of Crimea, and Crimea-related sanctions on Russia will remain in place until Russia returns full control of the peninsula to Ukraine. We join our European and other partners in restating that our sanctions against Russia for its aggression in eastern Ukraine will remain until Russia fully implements its commitments under the Minsk agreements," Kamian said.

In addition, the United States called on the Russian Federation to cease its harassment of international commerce and shipping in the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait.

“We condemn the announcement by the Russian proxies of their intention to conduct November 11 elections in the sovereign territory of Ukraine, the so-called “Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics,” Kamian added.

U.S. Chargé d’Affaires also stressed that Russia must release Ukrainian journalist Roman Sushchenko illegally detained in Moscow two years ago and sentenced to 12 years in prison on trumped-up charges of espionage.

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