Volker: ‘Crimea’ sanctions to stay as long as Russia occupies peninsula

16.09.2019 10:15

Ukrinform

U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine negotiations Kurt Volker says that sanctions against Russia over the annexation of Crimea will remain in place until the peninsula is fully de-occupied.

Volker reminded about the need to distinguish between the sanctions that were imposed against Russia over the annexation Crimea and over the occupation of Donbas.

“First off, we have sanctions in place because of Russia’s annexation of Crimea, claimed annexation. We also have sanctions in place because of its failure to implement the Minsk agreements. We also have sanctions in place for a few other things like the Skripal attack in the UK. If Russia implements the Minsk agreements as it is obliged to do, then we would be willing to look at the lifting of those sanctions. But sanctions concerning Crimea stay there as long as Russia occupies Crimea,” Volker said in an interview with 1+1 TV channel.

As a reminder, in June 2019, the Council of the European Union approved a decision to extend sanctions against Russia over the annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol. The sanctions concern the Russian banking and energy sectors. They were first imposed in the summer of 2014 and have been extended every six months since then.