"Secretary Tillerson phoned Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko today to discuss his recent trip to Moscow and his message to the Russian leadership that, although the United States is interested in improving relations with Russia, Russia’s actions in eastern Ukraine remain an obstacle. The Secretary emphasized the importance of Ukraine’s continued progress on reform and combating corruption," US Department of State acting spokesman Mark Toner said on Sunday.
He added that the recent death of the US citizen working in the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) in Ukraine stressed the need for all sides to the conflict to adhere to the Minsk agreements.
The diplomat added that in the phone conversation Tillerson confirmed that the sanctions imposed on Russia in the context of Moscow's alleged involvement in the Ukrainian conflict would remain in place.
