Tillerson says Russia must make first move in Ukraine peace process

[July 10, 2017]    KIEV (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Sunday that Russia must take the first steps to de-escalate violence in eastern Ukraine, adding that Washington's primary goal is the restoration of Ukrainian territorial integrity.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson shake hands after delivering a joint statement in Kiev, Ukraine July 9, 2017. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko

On a maiden official visit to Ukraine, Tillerson also said the United States would explore ways of changing the status quo in the Ukraine crisis, and said Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election still impeded better relations with Moscow.

(Reporting by Jonathan Landay and Natalia Zinets; writing by Matthias Williams; editing by David Stamp)

[© 2017 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2017 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.