Rex Tillerson, the former chairman and chief executive officer of Exxon Mobil, testifies before a Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing on his nomination to be U.S. secretary of state in Washington, U.S. January 11, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for U.S. Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, said on Wednesday he would support maintaining U.S. sanctions on Russia until the United States further develops its approach to the country.

“I would leave things in the status quo so we are able to convey this can go either way,” Tillerson said during his confirmation hearing, in response to a question on whether he thought right now is the right time to lift sanctions on Russia.