WASHINGTON, March 16 – U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby says that sanctions related to Crimea will remain in place.

"We will not accept the redrawing of borders by force in the 21st century. Sanctions related to Crimea will remain in place as long as the occupation continues. We again call on Russia to end that occupation and return Crimea to Ukraine," he said in a statement on the second anniversary of Russia's attempted annexation of Crimea.