Zelenskyy warns on sanctions
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticized moves to ease sanctions on Russia in a recent public post. - He cited last week’s tally of “2,360+ drones, 1,320 bombs, 60 missiles” and about 12 million tons of oil funding (~$10B). - His comments tied sanction relief to renewed war funding and circulated widely on social accounts summarizing the figures (x.com).
Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on April 19 that easing sanctions on Russian oil would hand Moscow more money for attacks on Ukraine. (president.gov.ua) (politico.com) In a Telegram post cited by Ukrainian and international outlets, Zelenskyy said Russia launched more than 2,360 strike drones, over 1,320 guided bombs and nearly 60 missiles at Ukrainian cities and communities in the past week. (t.me) (english.nv.ua) He also said more than 110 tankers from Russia’s “shadow fleet” were at sea carrying about 12 million tons of oil worth roughly $10 billion. Zelenskyy said that revenue was being “converted into strikes” on Ukraine. (t.me) (saudigazette.com.sa) The immediate trigger was Washington’s April 18 extension of a 30-day waiver on some seaborne Russian oil deliveries. The Associated Press reported, via Politico, that the Treasury move prolonged a similar March license and came after energy-market disruption tied to the Iran war. (politico.com) That put Kyiv’s message at odds with a U.S. decision meant to ease supply pressure. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had said on April 16 that the administration would not renew the license, before the waiver was extended two days later. (politico.com) Europe has moved the other way this spring. The Council of the European Union said on March 14 that it renewed individual sanctions tied to Russia’s actions against Ukraine for another six months, through September 15, 2026, and it added more names to sanctions lists on March 16. (consilium.europa.eu) At the same time, divisions inside Europe have not disappeared. Bloomberg reported on April 16 that Slovakia said it was prepared to obstruct the European Union’s latest Russia sanctions package even as it backed a loan for Kyiv. (bloomberg.com) Zelenskyy’s argument was narrower than a general call for pressure: he tied oil-export revenue directly to the weekly barrage figures he published. His closing line was blunt: “Every dollar paid for Russian oil is money for the war.” (t.me) (uatv.ua)
