🔶 Zelensky: By suspending sanctions, Trump is encouraging Putin to continue the war

Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine, wrote in a message on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday, October 17, 2026, saying that the halt of U.S. sanctions, reduced pressure on Russia, and financial rewards to Putin encourage him to continue attacks.

Criticism of Trump’s decision continues as Ukraine faces increased Russian attacks on energy infrastructure and the approach of the cold season; a situation in which providing electricity and heating for the country’s citizens has become one of the main concerns.

Donald Trump, President of the United States, said in response that this move, in the current circumstances, is “in the interests of the United States’ national security.”

Kirill Dmitriev, the Kremlin representative for international economic cooperation and one of Russia’s negotiators, welcomed the decision and wrote that the implementation of the law under discussion could have fully halted economic relations between Russia and the United States and caused serious damage to the U.S. economy and global markets.

Zelensky also, referring to Russia’s recent attacks, said that more than 15 important power generation and transmission facilities in different regions of Ukraine have been targeted, and Moscow is trying to put this country’s resources out of operation.

The Ukrainian president emphasized that Russia is trying to bring Ukraine to a blackout before the start of winter, and that increasing pressure on Moscow is needed to stop this process; he considered the U.S. sanctions package an action that could have been effective in this regard, and according to him, “reinstating it could still prove useful.”