White House: Russian military action in Syria will not influence US position regarding Ukraine

“We do not in any way want to see any linkage of the Ukrainian issue to the situation in Syria.  The fact of the matter is the sanctions that have been imposed on Russia are not because of Syria, they’re because of Ukraine and Russia’s persistent violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, Rhodes said. According to him, it is very important to understand that even if the United States can pursue more constructive efforts with Russia on counterterrorism, the situation in Ukraine is not going to have significant differences. In addition, Russia does have an opportunity to fulfill the Minsk commitments and “that is the pathway for Russia to begin to repair its relations with the United States and Europe over the situation in Ukraine”, Rhodes said.