Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has endorsed the U.S. tariffs on nations continuing trade with Russia, describing it as the “right idea.”
In an interview with ABC News, Zelensky was asked whether Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit in China suggested that sanctions on Russia were failing. Zelensky responded that penalizing countries maintaining business ties with Moscow was an appropriate strategy.
His remarks came shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a ‘second stage’ of sanctions against Russia, signalling tougher economic measures aimed at forcing Moscow to halt its war in Ukraine.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has also said that Washington, together with the European Union, is preparing coordinated action against nations purchasing Russian oil. He argued that secondary tariffs could trigger a collapse of Russia’s economy and push President Putin to the negotiating table. “We are prepared to increase pressure on Russia, but we need our European partners to follow us,” Bessent noted.
The United States has already imposed steep tariffs, including a 50% duty on India that took effect on August 27. This came after Trump first introduced a 25% tariff, citing unfair trade practices, and later doubled the penalty in response to India’s continued oil imports from Russia.
India has strongly criticized Washington’s decision, arguing it has been unfairly singled out while European nations maintain extensive commercial ties with Moscow. New Delhi pointed to Europe’s trade with Russia, which reached €67.5 billion in goods in 2024 and €17.2 billion in services in 2023, insisting that such figures highlight double standards as European countries face no equivalent restrictions.
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