Secretary of State Tillerson in Ukraine: the issue of Donbass and sanctions against Russia

Photo: president.gov.ua

On July 9, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson visited Kiev, during the visit he met with President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko.

Politicians spoke about the course and topics of their talks during a general briefing after the meeting, the video of which Poroshenko published on his page on the social network Facebook.

The head of Ukraine noted that “the visit of US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to Kyiv is a powerful signal of support for the Ukrainian state, our common struggle for democratic values ​​and freedom.”

“I hope that the rich experience of the newly appointed Special Representative for Ukraine Kurt Walker and the determination of Mr. Tillerson will finally force Moscow to take a sustainable path to a peaceful settlement,” Poroshenko noted on his page on the social network.

During the briefing, Tillerson thanked Poroshenko for the cordial meeting and assured that the United States was determined to help restore Ukraine’s territorial integrity.

Poroshenko and the US Secretary of State also approved an algorithm for further work for the peaceful settlement of the conflict in the Donbass.

“One of the key results of our meeting today is that we agreed on interaction, an algorithm for joint work to further advance the peace process,” Poroshenko said.

The President of Ukraine also described the conditions under which, in his opinion, the development of the peace process and negotiations on the situation in Donbass is possible.

“If Moscow does not want to miss an opportunity once again, it should accept the logic that all other participants in the Normandy format adhere to. The first is a lasting, durable ceasefire. The second is the withdrawal of all occupation forces from Ukrainian territory. Third, stop intimidating international observers. Fourth, ensuring reliable control by international forces of the uncontrolled section of the Ukrainian-Russian border and the line of contact. And fifth, finally, is the release of all hostages who are illegally held both in the occupied territory and in Russian prisons,” Poroshenko said, noting that Russia must take the first step towards a peaceful settlement.

“Kyiv did not start this war, there are no Ukrainian troops on Russian territory. We did not conceive this war, we did not start it. It was conceived and started in Moscow, which is why the keys to a peaceful settlement are kept in Moscow. We want to emphasize our clear commitment to the peace process. Most of all, we want peace... We count on the help of our partners - the United States, the Normandy format - and we hope for a sober understanding of this situation in Russia,” Poroshenko said.

The US Secretary of State also noted that the first steps towards peace in the Donbas should be taken by Russia.

“It is necessary for Russia to take the first step in resolving the conflicts in eastern Ukraine, namely the withdrawal of its troops. This is very important to us,” Tillerson said. The US Secretary of State called on Russia to implement the Minsk agreements and not to interfere with the work of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission in Donbass.

Photo: twitter / poroshenko

Tillerson assured the President of Ukraine that the issue of Crimea is constantly on the agenda of the US administration. According to the US Secretary of State, sanctions against Russia will not be lifted until Moscow fulfills all the conditions in the Crimea and Donbas.

Poroshenko also announced a telephone conversation within the “Normandy format”, which will take place in July 2017.

“It is most likely that telephone negotiations will take place in July at the level of heads of state, following which a summit will be organized,” Poroshenko said.

During the meeting, Tillerson also told the President of Ukraine that what was discussed by US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin during their meetings on the margins of the G20 summit.

“Regarding the Trump-Putin meeting and regarding the 2016 election, President Trump raised this issue with President Putin and, frankly, we did not expect any other response than the one we received... This issue is also an obstacle to improving relations between the United States and the Russian Federation, and this issue must be resolved so that we can assure the American people that we will not have interventions in elections not from Russia, not from anyone else,” Tillerson said.

July 9 Tillerson first arrived in Ukraine. Prior to that, he met with Poroshenko in Washington on June 20.

Before heading to negotiations with the President of Ukraine, the US Secretary of State met with representatives of Ukrainian civil society.

About it on the page on a social network Facebook wrote MP of Ukraine Mustafa Nayem.

On the part of Ukraine at the meeting were representatives on energy, law enforcement reform, the fight against corruption, the economy and investment.

Photo: Facebook / Mustafa Nayyem

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