Ukraine's Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin received assurances during his visit to the U.S. that Crimea and Donbas would not become bargaining chips of Washington, D.C., and Moscow and that sanctions against Russia would remain in place, the Foreign Ministry's spokeswoman Mariana Betsa has said.

"We've received clear assurances and clear guarantees from the American side that Crimea and Donbas are not bargaining chips, are not the subject of any deal [between Washington, D.C., and Moscow], and that sanctions will remain until the occupation of Crimea and Donbas ends," Betsa said at a briefing in Kyiv on Friday.

According to Betsa, U.S. representatives assured Klimkin that sanctions are an important tool in handling Russian aggression and putting an end to the occupation of Ukrainian territory.

Klimkin was in the U.S. from March 6 to March 7 on a working visit. He met with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, as well as representatives from the U.S. presidential administration.