US sees no changes in the approach of Russian Federation to the events in Ukraine

State Department spokesman Marie Harf announced today that the United States believes that Russia's position in relation to the events in Ukraine has not changed much, so Western countries should not exclude the possibility of further tightening of sanctions against Moscow.

"If Russia continues its actions, it would have to pay for this extra cost," TASS quoted her.

According to Harf, "in recent weeks there have been reports about a reduction of military activity in the east of Ukraine," but in general, "Russia's behavior," according to the US remains the same. In this regard, she recalled the sanctions against Russia, and expressed the belief that they have a serious impact on the Russian economy, that is now in a difficult situation.

However, she claimed that "Russia has a choice": to remain under pressure of sanctions, or go the way of a diplomatic settlement of the situation around Ukraine. The State Department spokesman insisted that the United States is also prepared to contribute to ending the Ukrainian conflict through diplomacy.