US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said that the US and EU sanctions on Russia will remain in place until the conflict in Eastern Ukraine is settled.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Sunday that the US and EU sanction against Russia will not be lifted until the conflict in Eastern Ukraine is settled, according to Sputnik International.

"It is necessary for Russia to take the first steps to deescalate the situation in the east part of Ukraine… The US and EU sanctions on Russia will remain in place until Moscow reverses the actions that triggered these particular sanctions," Tillerson said at a briefing after a meeting with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in Kiev.

In 2014, the European Union and the United States introduced several rounds of anti-Russia sanctions over Moscow's alleged involvement in the internal crisis in Ukraine. The sanctions have been prolonged for several times since then.

Russia has consistently denied the allegations of meddling in Ukraine's internal affairs and pointed out that the policy of sanctions is counterproductive and can destabilize the region and the world.

News.Az