Obama says Russia sanctions must stay in place until Minsk implemented

HANOVER, Germany (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama said on Monday that the West needed to uphold the sanctions it has imposed against Russia over the Ukraine crisis until Moscow fully implements the so-called Minsk peace agreement.

"I want good relations with Russia and have invested a lot in good relations with Russia but we need to keep sanctions on Russia in place until Russia fully implements the Minsk agreements," he said during a visit to a trade fair in Hanover.