WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Washington will change its approach to Russia, including reconsidering the sanctions regime and arming Ukraine, if the Minsk peace agreements are successfully observed, US Congressman Adam Smith told Sputnik on Friday.
However, it is not likely that the ceasefire will hold, Smith said. “What is this, the tenth ceasefire?… As you can tell from the sound of my voice, I am skeptical.”
The Ukraine ceasefire negotiated by Ukraine, Germany, France, Russia and representatives of Donetsk and Luhansk will go into effect at midnight on February 15.
Representative Smith introduced new legislation this week to authorize $1 billion to train and equip the Ukrainian military with lethal defensive weapons. The bill currently has bipartisan support from 25 sponsors in the US House of Representatives.
The United States, the European Union and other countries imposed sanctions on Russia because of its alleged interference in Ukraine’s internal affairs. Russia has repeatedly denied these accusations and has argued that the warring sides in the Ukraine conflict should establish direct dialogue.