Nuland: Sanctions against Russia are a powerful tool
US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Victoria Nuland said that economic sanctions continue to be a powerful tool against Russia. According to her, these measures have disrupted Russia’s attempts to take more territory in eastern Ukraine, Radio Svoboda reported.
"We have deterred further land grabs in Ukraine, and that was a real risk when we first started with sanctions - that they would try to run all the way to Kiev and Kharkov," Nuland said.
"I will tell you now that the Russians are now openly talking about the pain of sanctions, including when we work with them on the Minsk thing. So they know what it's going to take to get these sanctions rolled back," she added.
According to her, the US is actively working with Europe to extend the sanctions against Russia at the end of the month. In late May, President of the European Council Donald Tusk said that economic sanctions against Moscow would remain in place until the Minsk Agreements are fully implemented.