Obama, EU Leaders Reiterate Plan to Lift Sanctions After Minsk Fulfillment

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — US President Barack Obama, along with leaders of the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Italy, have reiterated their intention to lift the sanctions imposed on Russia upon the country’s full implementation of the Minsk accords to settle the conflict in eastern Ukraine, the White House said in a press release on Monday.

"There was agreement that full implementation of the Minsk agreements remained crucial," the White House stated. "The leaders reiterated that sanctions against Russia would be lifted if the Minsk agreements were fully implemented."

The Western leaders also reiterated rejection of Russia’s "attempted annexation" of Crimea.

Crimea rejoined Russia after a referendum in March 2014, in which 96 percent of people in the region backed cessation from Ukraine. The United States imposed a range of individual and sectoral sanctions on Russia and its officials in the wake of the vote.

The Minsk deal on Ukraine’s reconciliation was struck in February 2015 by Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France and later signed by Kiev and the pro-independence militias in southeastern Ukraine.

Both warring parties have repeatedly accused each other of violating the truce despite agreeing to the ceasefire deal.