WASHINGTON, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- The United States and Ukraine announced on Friday that they would set up three working groups, including one focused on security, with an aim to "withstand Russian pressure."

The announcement came after U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin met on Friday as part of the 2018 U.S.-Ukraine Strategic Partnership Commission Meeting in Washington, DC.

The three working groups planned include one focused on security, another on the rule of law and humanitarian issues and the third on the economy and energy, the two sides said in a joint statement issued through the U.S. State Department.

The groups will meet regularly to discuss areas of mutual concern and advance joint objectives, they said.

The United States confirmed its commitment to maintain sanctions against Russia related to its behavior against Ukraine, while Ukraine reaffirmed that joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) remains a strategic priority.

Russia has yet to respond to the announcement.

Relations between Kiev and Moscow have been deteriorating since early 2014 over Crimea and armed conflicts in eastern Ukraine. The two sides have put in place sanctions against each other, while the United States has also put in place sanctions against Russian individuals and entities, citing what it said was Russian aggression against Ukraine, which Moscow denied. Moscow also accused Ukraine of unfriendly actions against Russian citizens and entities.

The U.S. State Department has also said that it might impose another round of sanctions on Russia over the latter's alleged involvement in the nerve agent attack on a former Russian spy in Britain in March.