The US has promised to impose sanctions against Russia every couple of months

Russia is waiting for increased pressure from the United States due to the situation in Ukraine: Washington plans to impose new sanctions “every month or two,” said US Special Representative for Ukraine Kurt Volker during a conference at the Atlantic Council in Washington.

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Quote: “The Trump administration is on this path and will continue to go: new sanctions will appear every month or two, as it has already happened,” Volker said.

• He also noted that the United States is working very closely with its European allies in this direction: “Similarly, we are working with European allies, and the Europeans also keep [their own] sanctions in place. It seems to me that this probably came as a surprise to Russia.” The EU has shown strength and "tremendous resilience" in keeping the sanctions in place, he said.
• Volker also gave his assessment of the situation in eastern Ukraine. According to him, the chances of resolving the conflict in the region have only diminished lately due to Russia's fault. “According to my assessment, the chances of them (the Russian authorities. - The Bell) changing their position are now lower than even a year ago. It seems to me that Russia has essentially decided to wait out the Ukrainian elections (apparently referring to the presidential elections in March 2019. - The Bell), to see what happens [after them], perhaps new favorable opportunities will appear in order to achieve a more favorable positions for Russia,” the diplomat said.
• The US Special Representative also recalled that the US had lifted the embargo on arms supplies to Ukraine, "although a few years ago it seemed like a provocative step to give Ukraine the opportunity to defend itself." “The administration has decided to treat Ukraine like an ordinary country — a country that has the right to defend itself, that has a national security strategy, there can be gaps in this strategy, and friends and allies can discuss how to fill them. We have passed a new package of foreign military financing through Congress and will discuss arms sales with Ukraine,” he said.

Egor Sonin