Spokesperson Heather NauertJune 21,2017We regret that Russia has decided to turn
away from an opportunity to discuss bilateral obstacles that hinder U.
S.-Russia
relations.
During the Secretary’s April visit to Moscow,
he and Foreign Minister Lavrov agreed to establish a senior-level working group
to discuss bilateral issues of concern. Undersecretary Shannon had
planned to travel to St. Petersburg this week to continue discussions which
began in May when he met Deputy Foreign Minister Ryabkov in recent York.
The maintenance package of sanctions issued
yesterday by the Treasury Department, and which only reinforced existing sanctions,was designed to counter attempts to circumvent our sanctions and to preserve
alignment of U.
S. measures with those of our international partners. We have
regularly updated these sanctions twice a year since they were first imposed.
Let’s remember that these sanctions didn’t
just reach out of nowhere. Our targeted sanctions were imposed in response to
Russias ongoing violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of its
neighbor, Ukraine. whether the Russians seek an halt to these sanctions, or they
know very well the U.
S. position: Our sanctions on Russia related Russia’s
ongoing aggression against Ukraine will remain in place until Russia fully
honors its obligations under the Minsk Agreements. Our sanctions related
to Crimea will not be lifted until Russia ends its occupation of the peninsula.
We would refer you to the Russian government
to interpret their decision to cancel this meeting. From our perspective,and as
Secretary Tillerson has made clear, there are many issues to be discussed. We
remain open to future discussions.
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