Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has urged Europe and the US to increase sanctions against Russia, warning that “waiting too much time” will undermine pressure on Moscow.
“If the war continues and there are no moves toward peace, we expect sanctions. This is the second issue I will raise at my meeting with President Trump. President Trump expects strong steps from Europe,” Zelenskiy said during an evening address on September 19.
“President Trump expects strong action from Europe. I think we are wasting too much time if we wait,” he went on saying. Zelenskiy’s comments came as he prepares to meet with US President Donald Trump in Washington.
In his speech Zelensky noted that Trump expects more decisive actions from European nations. He criticized the lack of urgency in imposing sanctions and supported a unified European approach, including stricter tariffs on countries buying Russian energy. Addressing Trump’s recent statements about Europe and China, Zelensky said the U.S. president wants to take action before winter, a stance Ukraine supports.
He acknowledged the difficulty of reducing reliance on Russian energy but said Ukraine continues to work with European countries on this. He added that strong steps from the U.S. could influence European nations, including Slovakia, to change course, and said Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is not the only obstacle - Slovakia and other countries also provide infrastructure for Russian energy exports.
Trump has repeatedly pledged to impose stronger sanctions on Russia but failed to follow through. Last week he said the White House was ready to slash Russia with stronger sanctions but only if the NATO countries agreed to halt purchase of Russian oil and gas, and to put tariffs on China.
