White House Press Secretary Sean Spacer in the first televised press conference since June 12, was asked about the Ukraine and responded in a way which may cause further deterioration in Russia-US relations.
“Would the President like to see Russia get out of eastern Ukraine, and does he see Moscow as the aggressor in this conflict?” Reuters reporter Jeff Mason asked Spicer during his daily briefing.
“I think we’ve been clear that yeah, I mean, obviously,” Spicer said. “That’s part of the reason there are sanctions.”
Spicer said the subject “obviously” came up during President Donald Trump’s discussion earlier Tuesday with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.
“Until they are out of eastern Ukraine, we’re going to continue to have sanctions on Russia. We believe that that is a part of Ukraine,” Spicer said. “Those sanctions will remain.”