Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has said that the visit to Kyiv by U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillersonwas sends a "powerful" signal of U.S. support for his country.
At a joint press conference in the Ukrainian capital on July 9 following their talks, the two men announced that the newly named U.S. special envoy for the war in eastern Ukraine, Kurt Volker, will stay on in Kyiv for several days to push for implementation of the Minsk agreements on ending the conflict.
Tillerson said the United States was disappointed with the lack of progress in implementing the 2-year-old Minsk agreements.
He also reaffirmed that Washington would not lift sanctions against Russia until Ukraine's territorial integrity was restored. He emphasized that the restoration of Ukrainian territorial integrity and sovereignty was "the primary U.S. goal."
Tillerson also urged Kyiv to "continue economic and anticorruption reforms."
The war in eastern Ukraine between Kyiv and separatists receiving political, economic, and military support from Russia has taken more than 10,000 lives since it began in early 2014.
