Zelenskyy urges Western allies to 'stop wasting time' as Russia's aggression threatens Nato

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged Western allies to “stop wasting time” as he prepares for a US visit to push President Donald Trump to impose heavy sanctions on Russia. The Ukrainian leader is slated to meet his American counterpart next week on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Zelenskyy on Saturday said that he is expecting further sanctions to be imposed if Russian President Vladimir Putin refuses to meet him for face-to-face talks or to agree to a ceasefire. “If the war continues and there are no moves towards peace, we expect sanctions,” he said.

After returning to the White House, Trump has repeatedly threatened to take action against Russia but has so far failed to follow through with his warning. Instead, he targeted India for purchasing Russian oil by raising tariffs to nearly 50 per cent on Indian goods. Last week, the American leader said that the US was ready to “do major sanctions” – but only after all Nato countries agreed to stop buying oil from Russia and put tariffs on New Delhi and Beijing.

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Zelenskyy expresses frustration over the latest escalation

While speaking to the reporters in Kyiv, the Ukrainian leader expressed frustration over the recent escalation, with Russia infiltrating the airspace of multiple NATO-member states, The Guardian reported. He said that “tying up” possible US sanctions with demands on European countries to move first was to “slow down the pressure on Putin”.

“President Trump expects strong action from Europe. I think we are wasting a lot of time if sanctions are not imposed or some steps are not taken, that we very much expect from him [Trump]”, Zelenskyy said, speaking in his presidential office.

The remarks from the Ukrainian leader are coming at a time when Trump’s close allies, Hungary and Slovakia, have refused to cut energy ties with Russia. It is pertinent to note that these are the last two EU members who are still buying Russian oil via the Druzhba pipeline.

Last month, Ukraine bombed the Druzhba pipeline, prompting an angry response from Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban. In the Saturday presser, Zelenskyy said that he wanted the “whole of Europe” to impose sanctions. He said Trump could “push” European countries to do more and added that Slovakia’s pro-Russian government was likely to respond to American pressure. “Everyone is looking to the United States,” he said.

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Apart from this, he reiterated his willingness to meet Putin in any format, either one-on-one or ’trilaterally’ with Trump in the room. Meanwhile, the Kremlin said that the “root causes” of the conflict have to be addressed before this can happen, referring to Ukraine’s capitulation.

What Zelenskyy’s trip to New York will entail

During his upcoming trip to the United States, the Ukrainian leader would also seek clarification on what security guarantees the US is willing to provide as part of a peace settlement. Zelenskyy mentioned that the UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer raised this question with Trump during the president’s state visit to the UK and during their talks on Thursday in Chequers.

Zelenskyy also stated that his wife, Olena, will “most likely” meet First Lady Melania Trump in New York. The two are likely to discuss the return of Ukrainian children kidnapped by Russia. The American first lady is widely seen as being more sympathetic to Kyiv than the president, who berated Zelenskyy during their February meeting in the Oval Office.

However, their last encounter at the White House in August was more successful, with several European leaders, including Starmer, joining Zelenskyy for talks. All eyes will now be on next week’s bilateral meeting, which is taking place against the backdrop of provocative Russian actions in Europe, in which three Russian fighter jets on Friday violated Estonian airspace.