President Zelenskyy: US sanctions exemption rewards Putin — Taipei Times
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that US President Donald Trump’s decision to introduce an exemption from broad sanctions against the Russian Federation — the aggressor state — “rewards” Russian President Vladimir Putin. He also warned that Russia is trying to leave millions of Ukrainians without electricity and heating ahead of winter.
As Taipei Times reports, Trump signed an executive order on the sanctions exemption on the day Russia attacked 15 critically important electricity generation facilities in Ukraine. Zelenskyy called the strike one of the largest attacks on Ukraine’s energy system.
Zelenskyy’s statement
According to the Ukrainian president, the Lindsey Graham Act was meant to ensure effective pressure on Russia to end the war. The document targeted Russia’s energy and defense sectors, Putin, and the so-called shadow fleet of tankers that Moscow uses to circumvent Western restrictions.
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“The American sanctions blackout, the easing of pressure on the aggressor, financial rewards for Putin — all of this only encourages him to continue the attacks,” Zelenskyy said on social media. He called on allies to maintain pressure on Moscow to stop its actions.
Russia’s reaction and consequences of the attacks
The Kremlin and Putin had not commented on Trump’s decision at that time, although several Russian officials welcomed it. Putin’s envoy Kirill Dmitriev called the suspension of the Lindsey Graham Act “an important and truly historic moment,” claiming that the law would supposedly have caused significant damage primarily to the US economy and global markets.
The day after the exemption was introduced, Ukraine reported at least two people killed as a result of Russian airstrikes: one person was killed in Kherson, where 22 people were also injured, including two children, while another person was killed in Sumy. Putin also told military leadership that Moscow seeks to seize the remainder of eastern Ukraine.
