U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has said that Crimea-related sanctions against Russia will remain in place until Russia transfers control of the peninsula to Ukraine.

"Crimea-related sanctions will remain in place until Russia returns full control of the peninsula to Ukraine," he said at a meeting of the OSCE Ministerial Council in Vienna on Thursday.

"In eastern Ukraine we join our European partners in maintaining sanctions until Russia withdraws its forces from the Donbas (region) and meets its Minks commitments," Tillerson added.