Zelenskyy says Russia discussing possible sanctions relief with USA, hopes Washington will not agree

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine is aware that Russia is holding discussions with representatives of the United States about the possible lifting of sanctions, but expressed hope that Washington will not make such concessions.

"Regarding specifics and the dialogue between Russia and the United States, we know that Russia is holding discussions with representatives of the United States about the possible lifting of sanctions. We strongly believe that the United States will not agree to such concessions," Zelenskyy said while answering journalists’ questions on Tuesday.

According to him, if sanctions against Russia were lifted, "it would certainly be a serious blow: for us it would be a blow in terms of weapons, and for the whole world it would be a reputational blow – very difficult and very serious."

"How can sanctions be lifted from Russia? If it is an aggressor, it means this can be done – and not only by them. In principle, this would be a rather negative example for others," the president said.

Zelenskyy added that "the right strategy for everyone is not to support Russia economically."

"It seems to me that this is not exclusively Ukraine’s strategy; it is the strategy of the entire civilized world, so that Russia suffers financially, because it uses this money against us – it uses it specifically for weapons," he said.