Zelensky: America can weaken Russia’s war machine.
Volodymyr Zelensky had previously requested to receive Tomahawk missiles during a meeting with the US President, but was met with opposition from Donald Trump.
However, after Trump canceled a planned meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and announced the first round of sanctions against Moscow in his second term, the diplomatic course unexpectedly changed.
“Sanctions will be effective, but until Putin is stopped, there must be a means to stop him. Sanctions are one of those means, but we also need long-range missiles,” Zelensky said in a 35-minute conversation held yesterday.
The Ukrainian president added that Trump was concerned about an escalation of the conflict, but if there were no talks, an escalation would occur automatically.
Zelensky confirmed that agreements had been reached in his conversation with Trump on putting pressure on Russia and the possibility of “freezing the battle lines” as a basis for talks.
He said Russia’s reaction to the sanctions has been very negative, and statements by Russian officials and a wave of anti-American propaganda in the Russian media show that the decision has put significant pressure on Moscow.
Ukraine estimates that the new sanctions could reduce Russian oil exports by 50 percent and cut the Kremlin’s income by about $5 billion a month. Zelensky has called for more secondary sanctions and simultaneous action by the US Congress.
He also referred to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s initiative to develop a plan similar to Trump’s “Gaza plan” and expressed his readiness to work on a ceasefire within a short and specific framework, although he did not believe that Putin was ready for peace at the moment.
He went on to claim that Russia had made no progress on the fronts and, contrary to propaganda, its forces had remained in their positions since last summer.