Tough sanctions key to Trump’s success in peace with Russia — Ukraine’s ambassador

She said this in an interview with LB.ua.

The diplomat commented on the possibility of Trump imposing sanctions and tariffs on Moscow if no peaceful resolution is reached in Ukraine within 50 days.

“Whether it’s in 50 days or 10 days, we keep saying that if President Trump wants to succeed in achieving peace — and we strongly support him in this — if we want Russia to genuinely negotiate with us, these sanctions are necessary. We need to show the U.S. that sanctions are needed as soon as possible and that we need weapons as soon as possible. This will convince Russia, the aggressor and terrorist state, that they cannot wait out, endure, and ultimately win in their aggressive actions,” Markarova said.

She also emphasized that Kyiv’s priority is to increase sanctions against Russia, including full sectoral sanctions on all its banks.

“This is a very important sanction measure that will not only stop Russia but also prevent those currently buying and selling a lot with Russia — including India, China, and others — from putting their banking systems at risk. These are full sanctions on oil and gas, which are sources of revenue for the Russian budget. There are many areas we are working on. A bipartisan bill in the Senate and the House has strong support. Eighty-five senators are co-sponsors of it,” the ambassador stressed.

Background

On July 14, Donald Trump announced he would impose secondary tariffs on Russia, which could reach 100%, if a peace agreement with Ukraine is not reached within 50 days.

In response, Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council and former Russian president, called Trump’s 50-day deadline for Russia to make a peace deal with Ukraine a “decorative ultimatum.”

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham advised Putin to call Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei if he wants to know what will happen on the 51st day after failing to meet Trump’s conditions on the war in Ukraine.