Zelenskyy hopes for Graham bill sanctions if Putin refuses to de-escalate
Photo: Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine (Getty Images)
Following his meeting with US President Donald Trump in New York, Zelenskyy said the Graham bill sanctions had become one of the new tools for putting pressure on Russia.
According to him, Ukraine expects this mechanism could be used if Russia fails to demonstrate a willingness to de-escalate.
"We hope that if Putin does not want to show any de-escalation steps, this tool will be used," Zelenskyy said.
Thus, the Ukrainian president linked the possibility of increased US sanctions pressure to the Russian leadership's future actions.
The sanctions would introduce new restrictions on Russia's energy sector, defense industry and shadow fleet.
In addition, the law gives the US president the authority to impose tariffs of up to 100% on goods from countries that are major buyers of Russian oil and gas or help Moscow circumvent sanctions. This could potentially include China and India.
Zelenskyy and Trump meet in New York
Before meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Donald Trump said the war in Ukraine would end "more quickly than people understand." He also delivered a message to the Kremlin: "Settle the war."
Meanwhile, Zelenskyy said he hoped to end the war by winter with US help.
In addition, during the meeting, Trump said he could meet with Russian leader Vladimir Putin again.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy also discussed the possibility of an energy ceasefire with Russia. Ukraine is ready to refrain from striking Russian energy facilities if Moscow stops attacking Ukraine's energy infrastructure, water supply systems and other critical infrastructure.
