What awaits Trump if he eases sanctions on Russia, Zelenskyy’s opinion
Photo: Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine (Getty Images)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in an interview with Le Figaro, says US President Donald Trump should not ease sanctions against Russia. If he does, Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin will consider him weak and take the next step.
According to him, Donald Trump tried to establish good diplomatic relations with Russia, but with someone like Putin, that approach doesn’t work. The proposal to ease sanctions in exchange for his concessions will not succeed.
"Putin is not someone who can be grateful. If Donald Trump eases sanctions against Russia, he will draw only one conclusion: he is a weak president, and therefore he (Putin) can proceed to the next step," Zelenskyy said.
According to Zelenskyy, Putin lives under pressure 24 hours a day, and there is no opposition in Russia - neither within the Kremlin nor outside of it.
"For 25 years, his goal has been to preserve and strengthen his power. He has done this by killing his opponents. But also by dividing Europe, the US, and Europeans among themselves. Because he cannot fight everyone. He will lose. And if he loses, he will also lose his power, his Kremlin," the Ukrainian President said.
Easing sanctions against Russia
Recently, following a meeting with American officials in Saudi Arabia, Russia released a final statement listing its conditions for a ceasefire in Ukraine.
In particular, one of the conditions includes reconnecting Russia to the SWIFT system. It should be noted that blocking Russia’s access to SWIFT was one of the restrictions imposed in response to the Russian military invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Additionally, just yesterday the German government stated that they are unaware of any changes to EU sanctions against Russia - specifically regarding the potential return of Russia to the SWIFT banking system.
