US' Kyiv Bill

From UNIAN:

"U.S. bill links Russia sanctions relief to Crimea's return to Ukraine – RFE/RL"

A new bill in the U.S. Congress would prevent the White House from lifting a raft of sanctions against Russia until Ukraine restores control over Crimea, which Moscow forcibly annexed in 2014, or settles the peninsula's status to Kyiv's satisfaction, Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) reported. 

The legislation, announced on April 29 by U.S. Representatives Eliot Engel (Democrat-New York) and Adam Kinzinger (Republican-Illinois), aims to bolster U.S. support for Kyiv with measures that include tightened sanctions against Russia and a push for greater private investment in the Ukrainian economy, according to RFE/RL. "We need to build on our sanctions regime against troublemakers in the Kremlin, while working to preserve transatlantic unity," Engel, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said in a statement. "And we need to find ways of shoring up Ukraine and deterring [Russian President Vladimir] Putin that go beyond just throwing more money at the problem," Engel added. The bill would require that the U.S. president, prior to lifting a raft of Ukraine-related sanctions, submit "certification" to Congress that Ukraine has restored "sovereignty" over Crimea or that the peninsula's status has been resolved to the satisfaction "of a democratically elected government" in Kyiv, the statement reads. "As we have seen time and again, there is no stopping Vladimir Putin's disrespect for global order, especially in regards to Ukraine," Kinzinger said. "It's time for the United States to stand up and reiterate that it will not tolerate Russia's aggression," he said. Called the Stability And Democracy For Ukraine Act, the legislation was introduced in the House of Representatives on April 28 by Engel, Kinzinger, and 14 other co-sponsors, RFE/RL writes.

^ I completely agree with this. While sanctions haven't been the "cure-all" to stop the fighting in the Donbass or return the Crimea to the Ukraine it has made some impact and shouldn't be stopped until the original conditions have been met. Doing otherwise would only show Russia that they can invade, occupy and annex anything they want. It would also be a huge political defeat for the US and the other countries/organizations (ie. the EU, Canada, etc.) that have also placed sanctions. ^

http://www.unian.info/world/1335160-us-bill-links-russia-sanctions-relief-to-crimeas-return-to-ukraine-rfe-rl.html