June 20, 2016 (USA TODAY) The Trump administration
greeted his Ukrainian counterpart at the White House with the announcement of a
new set of sanctions on Russia – though Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko took
the opportunity to warn Trump against future dealings with Moscow. In brief comments
to reporters about his meeting with President Petro Poroshenko, Trump said the leaders
had "some very, very good discussions" and that Ukraine is "a place
that we've all been very much involved in." As Poroshenko arrived at the White
House, the Treasury Department said it is targeting 38 individuals and entities
"involved in the ongoing conflict" with Ukraine over the Russian occupation
of Crimea. Russia "annexed" the region of Ukraine in 2014, and
has backed pro-Russian separatists fighting in eastern Ukraine; the Treasury sanctions
list includes Ukrainian separatists and officials of the Russia government.
Poroshenko, who called the White House
visit "a great pleasure," said earlier that discussing Russia's president
Vladimir Putin would be part of his agenda with Trump. “It is very important that
my meeting, as Ukrainian President, in the White House will take place earlier than
the meeting of Putin,” Poroshenko said in a statement, adding that his goal would
be to "provide information and leave no chance for injustice."
Amid waves of
tensions between the United States and Russia – including an investigation into
Moscow's attempts to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign – there is currently
no personal meeting scheduled between Trump and Putin, though the two leaders may
meet at the upcoming Group of 20 summit in Germany in early July.
Poroshenko, who had a pre-scheduled meeting
with Vice President Pence, had a "drop-in" visit with Trump and national
security adviser H.R. McMaster. The talks took place amid investigations by congressional
committees and a special counsel into any links between Trump campaign associates
and Russians who sought to interfere in the 2016 elections by hacking Democratic
Party officials.
During the campaign and in the months
since Trump's inauguration, critics have accused the president of being too supportive
of Putin, and expressed concern that he might seek to unwind existing sanctions
on Russia. The Senate has passed a bill that would hit Russia with more sanctions
over its election activities, and limit Trump's ability to undo any penalties on
Putin's government requiring a congressional review of any such action. For its
part, the Treasury Department said its actions Tuesday underscore the U.S. commitment
to "maintain the strength of existing sanctions" as a step to resolve
the Ukraine crisis – and the measures related to Crimea will not be lifted until
Russia ends its occupation of the peninsula.
“These designations
will maintain pressure on Russia to work toward a diplomatic solution,” said Treasury
Secretary Steven Mnuchin. “This administration is committed to a diplomatic process
that guarantees Ukrainian sovereignty, and there should be no sanctions relief until
Russia meets its obligations under the Minsk agreements."
Later Tuesday, White House
spokesman Sean Spicer also affirmed the U.S. wants Russia out of eastern
Ukraine. "That's part of
the reason that there are sanctions," he said. The United States and
Russia are also at odds over the Syrian civil war.
Over the weekend, a U.S. fighter
jet downed a Syrian warplane for the first time, an act Russia condemned as a
"flagrant violation of international law." Russia also said it would
treat U.S.-led coalition aircraft as targets if they drift into certain parts
of Syrian airspace.
Back at the White House,
Poroshenko thanked the United States for its support in its struggle with
Russia, and said that "I'm absolutely confident that our effective
coordination will bring the peace to our nation, to our land, and can support
our territorial integrity and sovereignty." Trump was less specific in his
own remarks about Ukraine and the conflict there, describing the country only
as “a place that we’ve all been very much involved in” and “you’ve been seeing
it and everybody has been reading about it."
