Zelenskyy believes the U.S. will continue to ease sanctions against Russia
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy believes that the U.S. may continue to ease sanctions against Russia. He called the so-called “diesel deal”—an agreement on diesel fuel—merely the first step and stated that such decisions will not force Vladimir Putin to end the war. Zelenskyy also criticized Donald Trump’s decision regarding Senator Lindsey Graham’s bill, which would have increased pressure on Russia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy believes that the United States will continue to ease sanctions against Russia. According to the head of state, the agreement known as the “diesel deal” may be only the beginning of further decisions regarding sanctions. Zelenskyy believes that this approach will not help stop Russian aggression. “Unfortunately, the lifting of sanctions will continue. I believe that the ‘diesel deal’ is only the first step. It seems to me that this is not the way to stop Putin,” the president emphasized.
He added that easing the restrictions could be perceived by the Russian leadership as a sign of support from Washington.
Zelenskyy called on Trump to work toward ending the war
Despite his criticism of U.S. decisions, Zelenskyy expressed hope that U.S. President Donald Trump would make efforts to force Russia to cease hostilities. In particular, Ukraine expects Moscow to stop killing people, stop attacks on energy infrastructure, and end the war itself. “We very much hope—and I personally hope—that the U.S. president will do everything possible to ensure that Putin stops the killings, stops the attacks on our energy sector, and stops this war,” Zelenskyy said.
At the same time, he emphasized that Russia’s concessions should not be accompanied by restrictions on Ukraine in response to Russian attacks. In his view, neither easing sanctions nor curbing Ukrainian retaliatory strikes will force the Kremlin to stop its aggression. The president also noted that he expects the U.S. to take several more steps related to lifting sanctions against Russia.
Zelenskyy Criticized Trump’s Decision on the Graham Bill
Separately, the head of state expressed disappointment with Donald Trump’s decision regarding the bill proposed by U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham. This bill was intended to increase pressure on Russia. Zelenskyy recalled that Graham had consistently supported Ukraine. According to him, the senator visited our country shortly before his death.
The president also noted that the bill had the support of both major U.S. political parties—the Republican and Democratic parties. “There was bipartisan support for this bill. And now, the decision to block all of this, in my view, is wrong and only helps the Russians,” Zelenskyy emphasized.
Thus, the President of Ukraine expressed concern both about a possible further easing of sanctions against Russia and about the blocking of legislative initiatives aimed at increasing pressure on the Kremlin. According to Zelenskyy, such decisions do not bring an end to the war any closer and do not guarantee an end to Russian attacks on Ukraine. He made this statement during a conversation with media representatives.
Kirill Dmitriev, a special representative of the Russian dictatorial regime, welcomed U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to suspend certain provisions of the “Graham Act”—the so-called “hellish sanctions.” These provisions call for the imposition of restrictions against Russia. Dmitriev called the American leader’s move a “historic moment.”
On October 16, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order suspending the broad tariffs, restrictions, and sanctions that the late Senator Lindsey Graham had proposed imposing on the purchase of Russian energy resources.
