US State Department calls on Russia to implement Minsk Agreements and release Nadiya Savchenko
According to Victoria Nuland, Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs at the United States Department of State, Washington demands that Russia fulfill the requirements of the Minsk Agreements. The Assistant Secretary also called on Moscow to release Nadiya Savchenko.
The US administration intends to uphold sanctions against Russia that were imposed due to the annexation of Crimea, stated Nuland on Tuesday, March 15th. "We will continue to cooperate with Ukraine on the issue of the execution of the Minsk peace agreements. We are also working with our European partners to make sure that Russia will remain under sanctions until Moscow fulfills its part of the agreement – all of it," Nuland said. She explained that the sanctions imposed due to the annexation of the Crimea "of course, will stay in force" because the Kremlin "imposes its will" in the issues concerning this part of Ukraine.
Victoria Nuland also mentioned the Ukrainian pilot, Nadiya Savchenko, who is now imprisoned in Russian jail awaiting her verdict. "The struggle of Nadiya is a strong reminder of the serious pressure and violence that Ukraine continues to face, even while it's working on creating a stronger, stable state for its citizens," she said. The Assistant Secretary of State called on Russia to immediately release Nadiya Savchenko and not to wait "until it's too late" to return her to Ukraine.