Linda Thomas-Greenfield: “We are hopeful. We heard early, right around Christmas, that President Kiir was going to release eight of them.”

But we have used the Security Council, we have used the General Assembly to isolate Russia, to condemn Russia, to kick Russia off of the Human Rights Council.

We know the outcomes of these sham referenda were predetermined in Moscow. They, in no way, represent a legitimate expression of the will of the Ukrainian people. The will of the Ukrainian people is clear every day as they fight valiantly…

basic humanitarian assistance should never be held hostage to political disagreements.

This is part of their playbook. They have done this before. They did it in 2014, and it was not accepted.