Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has backed the United States for imposing tariffs on countries like India and China that continue to engage in deals with Russia, saying that it is “the right idea” to do so.
“I think the idea to put tariffs on the country…continuing to make deals with Russia is the right idea,” said Zelensky in an interview with ABC News, when asked if he thinks Trump’s sanctions have backfired.
“We have to stop [buying] any kind of energy from Russia, and by the way, anything, any deals with Russia. We can’t have any deals if we want to stop them,” he added.
During the interview, Zelenskyy was also asked about PM Modi’s pictures from the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, where he was seen alongside Russian President Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Trump To Impose ‘Secondary Phase’ Of Russia Sanctions
The Ukrainian President’s comments come just as Trump hinted at a “second phase” of sanctions against Russia. Earlier today, Trump, when asked whether he was ready to target nations buying Russian oil, said, “Yeah, I am.” However, he did not elaborate. Last month Trump and Putin held talks in Alaska to discuss Ukraine peace deal, but the summit failed to achieve a diplomatic breakthrough.
According to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, India and China remain the largest purchasers of Russian oil and gas, which helped Russia earn an estimated USD 985 billion since the start of the war.
Amid the ongoing differences between India and US over the purchase of Russian oil, New Delhi has maintained that its imports are based on commercial and economic needs.
Meanwhile, the European Union has reduced its reliance on Russian energy, but has not entirely stopped its purchases. In June, the EU unveiled a plan to stop all Russian energy imports by 2027. Zelenskyy criticised member states still buying from Moscow, calling it “unfair” amid the war and urging stronger economic pressure on Russia.
