Photo: depositphotos
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said easing economic restrictions on Russia would not persuade Vladimir Putin to end the war, but would instead make the Russian leader feel supported.
Zelenskyy was commenting on US President Donald Trump’s decision to indefinitely postpone the implementation of the Graham-Blumenthal sanctions bill. The Ukrainian president believes the practice of lifting economic restrictions on Russia could continue.
“I believe the diesel deal is the first step. It seems to me that this is not how you can stop Putin. On the contrary, he feels joy and happiness that he has such support,” Zelenskyy said, according to Novyny.Live.
Kyiv continues to hope that the United States and Trump personally will do everything possible to persuade Russia to stop killing Ukrainians, attacking Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and waging the war.
“But once again, restricting Ukraine’s responses to Russia for killing our people will not achieve that. Lifting sanctions certainly will not,” Zelenskyy added.
Russia also welcomed Trump’s decision. Kirill Dmitriev, Putin’s special envoy and head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, who previously said Washington was considering fully lifting economic sanctions against Russia, called the decision a historic moment.
Dmitriev said Moscow and Washington should pursue dialogue, mutually beneficial cooperation and “shared responsibility for global stability.”
Zelenskyy has previously warned that the United States is becoming a less reliable ally for Ukraine, attributing the shift to recent decisions by Washington rather than Kyiv’s actions. These include the diesel deal with Russia, restrictions on the StarShield military package for Ukraine’s armed forces and threats to suspend intelligence sharing over Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries.
Under these circumstances, Zelenskyy said, Ukraine cannot afford to surrender or show weakness.
