Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on Saturday for backers of Ukraine to publicly defend a new package of U.S. sanctions on Russia, after the Trump administration put the measures on hold. In a video address, Zelenskyy said silence from Kyiv's partners would only encourage Moscow, according to NPR News.
The sanctions had been prepared by the U.S. Treasury and State Departments as a fresh round of economic pressure targeting Russian energy exports and financial institutions. President Donald Trump's decision to pause them delays action that Ukrainian officials had counted on to squeeze the Kremlin's war budget.
Zelenskyy framed the delay as a test of whether allied governments would defend the rules-based system that has underpinned Western security since 1945. He warned that allowing sanctions to stall risks eroding "the world order," and urged supporters of Ukraine to make their voices heard before the window for action closes.
The pause comes as Russian forces continue strikes on Ukrainian cities and infrastructure. Kyiv has argued for months that only sustained economic pressure — not diplomatic gestures — can force Moscow to negotiate in good faith. Without new sanctions, Ukrainian officials say, Russia's capacity to fund its military will go largely unchecked.
Trump has repeatedly signaled openness to direct engagement with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and the hold on the sanctions package is widely read in Kyiv as a signal that Washington wants to keep leverage in reserve for those talks. Zelenskyy's appeal appears aimed at locking in commitments from European allies, who have imposed their own sanctions in parallel with Washington since 2022.
The episode also puts pressure on Congress, where bipartisan support for tougher measures against Russia has persisted even as the White House shifts its approach. Lawmakers from both parties have previously pushed for mandatory sanctions on Russian energy revenue, and the halted package could revive those efforts.
Zelenskyy's public push follows a pattern of direct appeals to Western publics when official channels stall. In his address, he cast the sanctions question as a choice between holding Russia accountable and letting aggression go unanswered, telling supporters that their governments need to hear from them.
The White House has not said when, or whether, the sanctions will be released. For now, the package remains unsigned, and Kyiv is left waiting on a decision made in Washington.
