US State Department spokesman John Kirby threatened additional sanctions against Russia if militias in eastern Ukraine seize new territories in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions, Reuters reported on Friday, June 19.

He stressed that American authorities are concerned about new attacks on Ukrainian army positions in the Marinka area and northeast of Mariupol. A department spokesman said that the militia used weapons that were prohibited by the Minsk agreements.

“All attempts by the separatists to occupy new Ukrainian territory will be met with a response that will force them to incur new costs,” Kirby emphasized. He refused to specify what kind of sanctions could be adopted, noting only that Europe’s opinion on this issue is unanimous.

According to him, the Russian side “continues to provide” support to the militias, which leads to “a violation of international law and the sovereignty of Ukraine.” Kirby added that the American side continues to collect information about how serious the clashes were in the Donetsk region.

When asked whether the Russian military took part in the attacks on Marinka and Mariupol, the State Department representative noted that when he talks about “united detachments of Russian separatists,” he believes that “there are some Russian soldiers there.” He refused to talk about the number of Russian soldiers in the region, since the United States does not have “normal information” on this topic.

“But the weapons used leave no doubt that there is a certain level of support from abroad. This could be commander training or some other assistance,” Kirby explained.

On June 19, the militia and official Kyiv accused each other of aggravating the situation in the area of the village of Shirokino near Mariupol. The parties state that the enemy is using heavy weapons prohibited under the agreements in Minsk.

On the same day , it became known that the authorities of the United States and European countries are working on preparing a new package of energy and financial sanctions against Russia. The Associated Press, citing sources, explained that the advance preparation of new measures is aimed at creating the ability for the United States and the European Union to respond immediately if “Moscow-backed rebels seize more territory in Ukraine.”

The United States threatened Russia with sanctions due to the situation near Mariupol