The United States will consider lifting of anti-Russia sanctions depending on Moscow's "changes in posture", US Vice President Mike Pence said Sunday, Sputnik reported.
"It just simply all depends … on whether or not we see the kind of changes in posture by Russia and the opportunity perhaps to work on common interests," Pence said in an interview with the ABC broadcaster, speaking about the possibility of lifting sanctions from Russia amid the recent escalation of violence in Ukraine.
Pence noted that the common interests with Russia included fight against the Islamic State (ISIL or Daesh) jihadist group, outlawed in Russia and the United States.
"The president made it clear that top priority of this administration is to hunt down and destroy ISIS and its source … Russia has a common interest in confronting radical Islamic terrorism and especially ISIS. If we have opportunities to work together, I think the president is looking for an opportunity to begin that relationship anew," Pence told the broadcaster.
In 2014, Washington and Brussels imposed a series of sanctions on Russia accusing it of the alleged involvement in the crisis in Eastern Ukraine. Russia has repeatedly denied the claims and introduced countermeasures.