Vice President Joe Biden on Wednesday sternly warned that sanctions on Russia will continue until the cease-fire agreement in Ukraine is fully implemented. (Lei Xuan /MEDILL NSJI)
WASHINGTON — “The United States sanctions on Russia must and will remain in place until the Minsk Agreement is fully implemented,” said Biden at the Brookings Institution, a Washington-based think tank.
The Minsk Agreement, also referred to as Minsk II, is an updated cease-fire agreement reached by Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France in February to end the conflict between government forces and Russian-backed rebels in eastern Ukraine.
However, fighting between Ukrainian troops and separatists continues.
“It’s now been 14 months since Russian aggression against Ukraine last spring, and it has literally transformed the landscape of European security,” Biden said.
The U.S. and its allies need to “ensure the further aggression on Russia’s part is met with further costs if Russia again moves beyond the line of contact. This is essential to our strategy,” Biden said.
Biden said he thought Russian President Vladimir Putin is practical and will eventually bow to demands. “At his core, he will push as far as he can, in my view, until he reaches a resistance that, in fact, says there is a big price to pay.”
The vice president said the goal in Ukraine is about peace in Europe, not running Russia for Putin.
“We are not looking to embarrass him, we are not looking for a regime change, (and) we are not looking for any fundamental alteration,” said Biden. “We are looking for him to, in our view, act more rationally.”
Michael E. O’Hanlon, a senior fellow at Brookings, said this is crucial moment because the European Union is reconsidering that sanctions on Russia.
“The United States needs to send a message to Europe about the fact that we are still committed to this issue, still committed to the existing policy, still paying attention, and we still perceive the need for patience and endurance and results in how the West collectively keeps the sanctions in place until there is in fact some kind of change in Russian behavior,” O’Hanlon said.
Biden also defended American efforts to cooperate with Russia, including nuclear talks with Iran and global counterterrorism efforts.
“It makes sense to cooperate where there is a clear mutual interest as long as you are not being asked to back off,” said Biden during the question-and-answer session shortly after his remarks. “Matters of principle that matter to the security and well-being of your country and your allies and your friends. So, quite frankly, I see it being overwhelmingly in our interest to continue to cooperate in Iran.”
President Obama said Tuesday that Russia has taken an “increasingly aggressive posture” on the Ukraine issue during a meeting with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg at the White House.
“And we affirmed that NATO is the cornerstone not just of transatlantic security, but in many ways, is the cornerstone for global security,” Obama said.
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