You're reading: Obama discuses Russia sanctions with EC, Council of Europe heads

U.S. President Barack Obama, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and European Council President Donald Tusk discussed the maintenance of sanctions against Russia over the situation in Ukraine at a meeting in Warsaw of Friday.

“They reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining the sanctions that are on Russia so long as there continues to be infringement on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, and also affirmed their support for the Minsk process and the need for Russia to follow through on its commitments, as well as all the parties involved,” Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communication Ben Rhodes told reporters at a briefing.

Rhodes said that some countries are incurring more strains because of the enforcement of sanctions. But in order to see a relaxation of those sanctions, Russia has to follow through on its own commitments.

“We can say very clearly to our European allies that we share their interest in having more constructive relations with Russia, but the pathway to that future has to be Russia respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine,” he said.

“We had a very strong message from the EU leadership that they remain committed to rolling over sanctions as Russia is not fulfilling its commitments under Minsk,” he said.