Paris: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday that the US 30-day waiver on Russian oil sanctions amid the Iran war is “not the right decision” and won’t help bring a stop to Russia’s more than 4-year-old invasion of Ukraine.
“This easing alone by the United States could provide Russia with about USD 10 billion for the war,” Zelenskyy said. “This certainly does not help peace.”
“I believe that lifting sanctions will, in any case, lead to a strengthening of Russia’s position. It spends the money from energy sales on weapons, and all of this is then used against us,” Zelenskyy said at a news conference with French President Emmanuel Macron during a visit to Paris.
“Therefore, ultimately lifting sanctions only so that more drones will later be flying at you is, in my opinion, not the right decision,” he said.
The US Treasury Department announced Thursday a 30-day waiver on Russian oil sanctions.
The step aims to free up Russian cargoes stranded at sea and ease supply shortages caused by the Iran war.
Analysts say that spiralling oil prices due to Persian Gulf production
blockages are benefiting the Russian economy.
Moscow relies heavily on oil revenue to finance its invasion, and sanctions were a growing handicap.
US-mediated talks between Moscow and Kyiv that seek to stop Europe’s biggest conflict since World War
II are on hold due to the Iran war, though they could resume next week, according to Zelenskyy.
Macron noted that broad sanctions on Russia still stand despite the temporary US waiver.
US waivers announced in recent days are “limited” and “taken on an exceptional basis,” Macron said. “It does not broadly or permanently roll back the sanctions that they themselves decided to apply,” he added.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz adopted a more critical stance.
He said Friday that a meeting earlier this week of heads of state and government from the Group of
Seven industrialised democracies discussed with US President Donald Trump the issue of Russian oil and liquefied natural gas supplies.
“Six members of the G7 expressed a very clear view that this (waiving of Russia sanctions) is not the right signal to send,” Merz said during a visit to Norway.
“We learned this morning that the US government has apparently decided otherwise. Once again, we believe this is the wrong decision.”
Merz added: “There is currently a price problem, but not a supply problem. And in that regard, I would like to know what additional motives led the US government to make this decision.”