Zelensky Urges Allies to Back Russia Sanctions Trump Has Put on Hold
Ukraine’s president is pressing for support of new U.S. sanctions on Russia that President Trump has waived, deepening a public dispute over how hard to squeeze Moscow’s economy.
Volodymyr Zelensky is pressing foreign partners to stand behind new U.S. sanctions on Russia that President Donald Trump has chosen to waive, arguing that Ukraine’s war effort depends on sustained economic pressure on Moscow.
Trump’s decision to put the sanctions on hold, affecting measures that Congress had already passed, has become a flashpoint in relations between Kyiv and Washington. Zelensky called the move "unfortunate" and urged support for the sanctions package but avoided a direct personal attack on the U.S. leader, even as tensions between the two governments have sharpened in recent days.
In separate comments about Trump’s Russia policy, Zelensky has accused the president of "rewarding Putin" by waiving sanctions that Ukraine saw as a tool to constrain Russia while its troops occupy Ukrainian territory and continue daily strikes. For Kyiv, the way Washington handles this package is a signal to Moscow about how much economic pain the Kremlin should expect from the West.
Trump’s team has defended the broader approach on sanctions waivers. Senator Marco Rubio, responding to criticism that such waivers give Vladimir Putin "freebies," argued that Russian diesel was "going to be sold one way or the other" and that the real issue was how much of it the United States would import. Rubio also said some of the contested measures reach beyond Russia, affecting countries such as India, and that the president wants to use a 60‑day window to study the impact.
The clash over sanctions now sits alongside a wider row between Trump and Zelensky, with Ukrainian officials warning that delays or waivers send the wrong signal while the United States insists it does not want friction or crisis in Ukraine or the wider region. The White House has roughly two months to decide whether to let the delayed sanctions take effect in full, narrow them, or seek changes from Congress.
Those decisions, and how they are explained to Kyiv and other allies, will show whether Washington intends a short tactical pause or a broader softening of its sanctions posture toward Russia.
Sources
- OSINT