US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken. File photoWASHINGTON, Apr 28 US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said lifting sanctions on Russia would require at least a cessation of hostilities in Ukraine. kind,» Blinken said during a hearing in the US House of Representatives. So the head of American diplomacy answered the question whether the lifting of US sanctions imposed on the Russian Federation would require a cessation of hostilities in Ukraine. The US Secretary of State was asked if Russia needed to completely withdraw its troops from Ukraine to achieve this goal, but Blinken refused to directly answer this question. After the start of Russia's special military operation in Ukraine, the United States and the European Union imposed large-scale sanctions against individuals, organizations, and various sectors of the Russian economy. Russia launched an operation in Ukraine on February 24. President Vladimir Putin called its goal «the protection of people who have been subjected to abuse, genocide by the Kyiv regime for eight years.» Putin noted that the policy of containing and weakening Russia is a long-term strategy for the West, and sanctions have dealt a serious blow to the entire global economy. He pointed out that the United States and the European Union actually defaulted on their obligations to Russia, freezing its foreign exchange reserves. According to the Russian President, the current events are drawing a line under the global dominance of the West in both politics and economics. Ukraine, Blinken said
