Suspension of sanctions by the US “rewards and encourages” Putin

O Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said today that the suspension of sanctions, decreed by the US leader, “rewards and encourages” Moscow’s policy against Kyiv.

“ The suspension of US sanctions, the relief of pressure on the aggressor, the financial rewards for Putin — all this does nothing but encourage him to continue to attack,” Zelensky said on social media, calling on the allies to keep pressure on Russia.

“ At a time when Russia launched such a massive attack on our energy sector, unfortunately in the United States it was decided to ignore completely the Lindsey Graham Act, which should exert real effective pressure on Russia to put an end to this war,” Zelensky wrote.

The legislation, promulgated last month and named after the late Senator Lindsey Graham, aimed to limit more quickly the flow of financial resources that fuel the war against Ukraine.

“ This law could have been of great help, and it can still be! But it has to be really applied, and every voice that stands up in its support is important,” the Ukrainian head of state stressed, referring to the decision of a bipartisan project in Congress to ban “the corrupt agreement of President Trump with Vladimir Putin, to buy and import Russian diesel”.

For Zelensky, “it is important that everyone in the United States see what is really happening” in their country, accusing Russia of “trying to cause a blackout in Ukraine even before winter” to “leave millions of citizens without electricity or heating.”.

“It is necessary to exert pressure to prevent it. Suspend US sanctions, relieve pressure on the aggressor and offer economic rewards to Putin only encourages him to continue to attack,” he insisted.

“ Therefore, “we should not give in. We must keep trying to end the war. To put an end to it, instead of giving Putin all the reasons to prolong it indefinitely,” he stressed, recalling that on Friday Moscow “has triggered one of the biggest attacks on the Ukraine’s energy sector,” reaching more than 15 critical electricity production and transport facilities.

Both sides became involved in a new escalation after Russia ignored the energy truce announced by US President Donald Trump, which Kyiv respected for several days.