Tillerson Says Russia Must Restore Ukraine Territory, or Sanctions Stay
But in a statement posted on Twitter minutes after Mr. Tillerson finished speaking, Mr. Trump wrote
that "sanctions were not discussed in my meeting with President Putin," and added, "Nothing will be done until the Ukrainian & Syrian problems are solved!"
Sanctions were not discussed at my meeting with President Putin.
During his short news conference in Kiev with Mr. Poroshenko, who took office after one of Mr. Putin’s acolytes was pushed from power, Mr. Tillerson also declined to say whether Mr. Trump, during his meeting with the Russian president, accepted Mr. Putin’s denials
that Russia was involved in efforts to influence the 2016 election.
Mr. Tillerson’s statement Sunday in Kiev was more definitive on the issue of sanctions than his boss’s tweet, perhaps a reflection of the political reality in Washington, where the Senate voted, 97 to 2, last month to toughen sanctions because of Russia’s continued intervention in eastern Ukraine, Moscow’s attempts to intimidate former Soviet states
and the conclusion of American intelligence agencies that Russia had interfered in the 2016 election.
By DAVID E. SANGERJULY 9, 2017
KIEV, Ukraine — Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson assured Ukraine’s leader on Sunday
that the United States would not lift economic sanctions against Russia until it "reverses the actions" that prompted them and restores the country’s "territorial integrity," appearing to set the same high bar for sanctions relief that the Obama administration did.
His comments came on the same day that President Trump said sanctions were not
discussed at his meeting on Friday with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia.
After his meeting with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia at the Group of 20 summit on Friday,
President Trump sent mixed messages about Russia’s meddling in the 2016 presidential election.