Trump's pause on Russia sanctions is ‘reward’ for Putin, Zelenskyy says

Ukrainian president warns it will embolden Russian leader and intensify war as Moscow hits country’s power plants

Trump's pause on Russia sanctions is ‘reward’ for Putin, Zelenskyy says

TL;DR

  • Volodymyr Zelenskyy states that Donald Trump's decision to roll back sanctions on Russia is a 'reward' for Vladimir Putin.
  • Zelenskyy warns that the decision will embolden Putin and intensify the Kremlin's war in Ukraine.
  • Russia launched one of its most significant strikes yet on Ukraine's power plants.
  • The paused sanctions package, named the 'Lindsey Graham Act', aimed to impose tough new sanctions on Russia, including tariffs on major importers of Russian oil.
  • Trump also announced the US would purchase diesel from Russia to lower global energy prices.
  • Zelenskyy hopes the US president will take action to stop Putin's aggression and the war.
  • Trump has demanded Ukraine halt strikes on Russian oil refineries.
  • Russia launched attacks on over 15 critical power generation and transmission facilities in Ukraine.
  • Ukraine's limited anti-air weapons make it difficult to counter the scale of Russia's strikes.