Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is hoping the United States will stand firm in the face of Russia's demand to lift sanctions as a condition for a ceasefire in the Black Sea.
He spoke to a panel of journalists during a television interview after meeting with President Emmanuel Macron in Paris, A2 writes.
Moscow has said that a naval ceasefire announced on Tuesday, aimed at allowing safe passage for commercial ships, will only take effect after Western sanctions on Russian food and fertilizer are lifted. According to Zelensky, who is in France to attend a major defense summit, the United States is too often influenced by the Russian narrative.
"The majority of Americans have always supported us and I am very grateful for that. However, today I believe that the US is too often under the influence of the Russian narrative, something that we cannot accept but we will continue to fight for ourselves and against this narrative. We have no other choice," Zelensky said.
The White House said Tuesday that Russian and Ukrainian delegations had agreed to a ceasefire in the Black Sea after three days of separate talks with Russian officials in Saudi Arabia. But hours later, the Kremlin released its own statement, which included a list of conditions. It demands the lifting of Western sanctions on financial institutions involved in agricultural trade and the restoration of access to the international payments system, Swift.
Trump said the US government would consider Moscow's request, but the EU made it clear it would not consider lifting sanctions before the unconditional withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territory. During the television interview in Paris, Zelensky challenged the view of US envoy Steve Witkoff, who dismissed European efforts to create a coalition of the willing to support Ukraine.
According to him, Witkoff, who has dealt with property development in the past, does not have the necessary experience.
(A2 Televizion)
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