Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday hailed the "strong and much-needed" message sent by US sanctions on Russia's energy sector, after President Donald Trump moved to ratchet up pressure on Moscow in step with the EU.
"We waited for this. God bless, it will work, and this is very important," Zelensky told journalists at an EU summit in Brussels, saying Washington had sent "a good signal to other countries in the world to join the sanctions."
Trump slapped sanctions on Russia's two largest oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil, on Wednesday, complaining that his talks with Vladimir Putin to end the Ukraine war "don't go anywhere".
Posting on X as he arrived in Brussels, Zelensky thanked Trump for a "resolute and well-targeted decision".
He said the US sanctions were a "clear signal that prolonging the war and spreading terror come at a cost".
"It is a strong and much-needed message that aggression will not go unanswered," he said.
Trump has held off pulling the trigger on sanctions against Russia for months, but his patience snapped after plans for a fresh summit with Putin in Budapest collapsed.
His move came as the European Union approved a 19th package of sanctions to pressure Russia to end its relentless, three-and-a-half-year invasion of its neighbor.
As part of its new measures, the 27-nation bloc likewise targeted Russia's fossil fuels by bringing forward a ban on the import of liquefied natural gas by a year to the start of 2027.
It also blacklisted over 100 more tankers from Moscow's so-called "shadow fleet" of aging oil vessels and imposed controls on the travel of Russian diplomats suspected of espionage.
The package was formally adopted Thursday, just before Zelensky joined EU leaders for summit talks focused on shoring up support for Ukraine.
With AFP
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