Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on October 23, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 21, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleZelenskiy praises new US and EU energy sanctions on Russia, urging more pressure for a ceasefire. The US targets Russian oil firms, while the EU bans LNG imports.
BRUSSELS (Reuters) -Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy hailed "very important" new U.S. and European Union energy sanctions on Russia on Thursday, but said more pressure would be needed on Moscow to secure a ceasefire in the war.
The United States unveiled sanctions against Russia's major oil companies on Wednesday, a day after plans for a summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin fell apart.
EU countries formally adopted a 19th package of sanctions on Thursday, including a ban on Russian liquefied natural gas imports.
"This is very important," Zelenskiy said of the new sanctions in comments to reporters in Brussels, where he was expected to meet EU leaders.
In response to a reporter's question, he said he believed a ceasefire was still possible in Ukraine but that more pressure needed to be applied to Russia for it to happen. He ruled out making territorial concessions to Moscow, which began its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Zelenskiy also thanked Trump for the new U.S. sanctions in a post on X, praising "this resolute and well-targeted decision" showing "aggression will not go unanswered".
"The new U.S. sanctions against Russia’s oil giants are a clear signal that prolonging the war and spreading terror come at a cost. And this is a fair and absolutely deserved step," he wrote.
"It is precisely pressure on Russia that will be effective for achieving peace, and sanctions are one of its key components."
(Reporting by Max Hunder and Anastasiia Malenko, Editing by Timothy Heritage)
Energy sanctions are restrictions imposed by countries or international bodies on the trade of energy resources, such as oil and gas, to influence the behavior of a nation.
Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is natural gas that has been cooled to a liquid state for ease of storage or transport.
The President often represents the country in foreign affairs, making decisions on treaties, sanctions, and diplomatic relations.
Sanctions are penalties or restrictions imposed by one country on another to influence its behavior, often related to trade, finance, or diplomatic relations.
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