The sanctions bill co-authored by the late Senator Lindsey Graham is very strong. It includes not only sanctions but also tariff policy.
These tools are now in the hands of US President Donald Trump, and the issue was raised at the meeting. Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this in an audio briefing with journalists on 25 September.
“President Trump, even publicly, has said that Ukraine and Russia want to end this war. We spoke; he knows my view, he heard it from me, that in my opinion Putin is definitely in no hurry to end the war—at the very least, he is not sending the appropriate signals,” he explained.
Therefore, Ukraine believes that the sanctions policy must be continued in order to bring a diplomatic end to the war closer.
“Trump’s whole team was there. We all talked about it. Bessent was there, the secretary responsible specifically for sanctions policy. I think our negotiating teams, which held an additional meeting after our meeting with President Trump, will work out all the dates for the relevant steps regarding possible preparations for a meeting. And we also want there to be an understanding of what will happen with the sanctions,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
- Recently, Trump signed a bill on sanctions against Russia and Iran, authored by the late Senator Lindsey Graham. The signing took place on 18 September US time, but after midnight Kyiv time.
- Although the document contains some additional restrictions against Moscow and Tehran, its main mechanism must be activated by Trump through a separate decision. This concerns penalties for countries that continue trading with Russia, including by buying oil and gas from the aggressor state. The President was granted the right to impose tariff duties on them at a level of 100% of the value of the goods.