US to expand sanctions in case of further escalation in Donbas – Biden

Thursday, January 29, 2015 - 10:31 (EET) Section: Latest news

In case of further escalation of the situation in Donbas, the U.S. is ready to expand the sanctions against Russia.
The U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said this during a telephone conversation with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, the presidential press service reported.
“The parties discussed the situation in Donbas and the ways of its peaceful settlement. The Vice President of the United States expressed strong support for actions of the Ukrainian President and announced the possibility of expanding sanctions against Russia in case of further escalation of the situation,” reads the statement.
The parties discussed the issues of cooperation between Ukraine and the United States in political, financial and defense sectors.
“Poroshenko thanked the U.S. for a decision on the allocation of $2 billion in loan guarantees and expressed the belief that this macro-financial assistance would allow Ukraine to stabilize the macroeconomic situation and relieve the tension in financial markets. The parties also discussed the possibilities of further technical assistance to Ukraine,” reads the statement.
Poroshenko and Biden agreed to hold a bilateral meeting during the Munich Security Conference, which will be held on February 6-8, and discussed the preparations for this meeting.