'Putin feels joy' — Zelensky calls Trump's waiving of key Russia sanctions 'wrong'
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President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Oct. 17 that U.S. President Donald Trump was "wrong" to further "block" sanctions against Russia, while expressing hope that the U.S. leader would do "everything possible" to stop the war.
Zelensky's comments came after Trump issued a broad waiver of sanctions under the Lindsey Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act on Oct. 16.
"Unfortunately, I don't think this is a way to stop (Russian President Vladimir) Putin. On the contrary, he feels joy that he has such support," Zelensky told reporters.
He described bipartisan support for the Russia sanction bill in September as "a major victory," calling the decision to "scrap" it "wrong."
The bill, which Trump signed weeks earlier, allows the U.S. president to impose tariffs of up to 100% on the top five buyers of Russian oil and gas, among other measures. Trump said he would use these powers if necessary to help end Russia's war against Ukraine
Zelensky said it is likely that Washington will continue to ease sanctions on Moscow, adding that the diesel deal was "only the first step" and that further moves could follow.
"We very much hope, and I personally hope, that the U.S. president will do everything possible to make Putin stop the killing, stop attacks on our energy infrastructure, and end this war," he added. "But once again, this can't be achieved by restricting Ukraine's response to Russia for killing our people."
"This certainly does not stop the war," the president added.
Trump's move came amid growing U.S. pressure on Ukraine to halt the attacks on Russian oil refineries. Washington has reportedly threatened to cut intelligence sharing and weapons support, while blaming the strikes for rising global fuel prices — a claim disputed by energy experts.
