Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned that US President Donald Trump’s decision to ease sanctions on Russia could encourage the Kremlin to continue its war against Ukraine, saying he fears further concessions to Moscow.
Trump signed an executive order on Friday waiving sweeping US sanctions targeting Russian energy revenues, prompting concern in Kiev as Russian attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure continue.
On Saturday, Zelenskyy said he feared the move was only the beginning of a broader relaxation of restrictions.
“Unfortunately, the lifting of sanctions will continue. I believe the ‘diesel deal’ is just the first step,” Zelenskyy told reporters.
He said he still personally hoped Trump would do everything in his power to persuade Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war, but argued that limiting Ukraine’s ability to respond to Russian attacks while easing pressure on Moscow would not achieve that goal.
At least two people were reported killed in Russian attacks on Ukraine on Saturday, according to Ukrainian officials.
Russian strikes hit Ukraine’s energy infrastructure
Zelenskyy said the US sanctions decision came on the same day Russia attacked 15 critical power-generation facilities across Ukraine in what he described as one of the largest assaults on the country’s energy grid.
Officials said a Russian attack in the southern city of Kherson killed one person and wounded 22 others, including two children. Another person was killed in the northeastern city of Sumy.
Zelenskyy warned that Russia was seeking to leave millions of Ukrainians without electricity and heating ahead of winter, when damage to energy infrastructure could have severe consequences for civilians.
Last winter, hundreds of thousands of people in Ukraine experienced prolonged interruptions to heating and electricity during freezing temperatures.
The Ukrainian president called on Kiev’s allies to increase pressure on Moscow and argued that sanctions were intended to raise the cost of continuing the war.
Kiev urges Washington to maintain pressure on Moscow
Zelenskyy also appealed to the United States to reconsider its approach to sanctions, highlighting the Lindsey Graham Act, which targets Russia’s energy and defence sectors, Putin and the so-called shadow fleet of tankers used to circumvent Western restrictions.
The legislation, named after the late US senator who sponsored it, was intended to increase economic pressure on Moscow.
“It is important that everyone in America also sees what is really happening,” Zelenskyy said on social media, arguing that the sanctions framework could still help bring the conflict to an end.
He warned that easing restrictions while Russia continued attacking Ukraine risked rewarding the aggressor and encouraging further military action.
Trump’s sanctions waiver followed his announcement of a deal with Putin allowing Russian diesel exports in exchange for sanctions relief.
The US president’s move came shortly after Putin, appearing in military uniform, said Moscow aimed to capture the remaining parts of eastern Ukraine.
Moscow welcomes Trump’s decision as talks stall
Russian officials welcomed the sanctions relief, although the Kremlin and Putin had not issued a direct response to Trump’s announcement at the time of the report.
Kirill Dmitriev, a Putin envoy, described the suspension of the Graham Act as an “important and truly historic moment”. He argued that the legislation would have caused serious damage to the US economy and global markets.
Zelenskyy met European leaders in Brussels on Friday, urging the European Union to continue financing Ukraine’s defence. He said he was standing up for his country amid the dispute with Washington.
As Russian strikes continue and winter approaches, Kiev is pressing its allies to sustain economic and military support while diplomatic efforts to end the conflict remain uncertain.
