Paris - Restrictive measures could be lifted from Russia if it fully complies with the Minsk agreements, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has said.
“If the Minsk agreement is fully implemented, sanctions can be rolled back,” he said at a press conference in Paris on Nov. 5.
Kerry said that the so-called elections in the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics were illegal and violated the Minsk agreements.
“Unlawful voting in eastern Ukraine over the weekend is a blatant violation of Ukrainian sovereignty and the Minsk agreement,” he said.
Kerry said that “neither the United States nor the international community will recognize the results.”
He said that if Russia does not fully implement the Minsk agreements and violations in eastern Ukraine continue, pressure on Russia would only increase.
“The choice is Russia’s,” he said.
Kerry also called on Russia and its proxies in eastern Ukraine to end the violence around Mariupol and the Donetsk airport.
