Zelenskyy Urges US To Expand Russian Oil Sanctions, Requests Long-Range Missiles

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday requested the United States for not limiting the sanctions on Russian oil to two companies and also asked for long-range missiles to hit back at Russia. Zelenskyy was in London for the talks with the “Coalition of the willing”, comprising two dozen European leaders who have pledged military help to shield his country from future Russian aggression if a ceasefire stops the more than three-year war.

Ukraine’s European allies said frozen Russian assets needed to be used quickly to fund support for Kyiv, one of several measures discussed in London talks to increase pressure on Vladimir Putin, Reuters reported. 

Zelenskyy had asked the EU leaders in Brussels on Thursday for long-range missiles and to use the frozen assets to provide it with more weapons. However, the EU leaders did not validate the funding plan over concerns raised by Belgium, where hundreds of billions of dollars in Russian reserves are held.

UK PM Keir Starmer affirmed on Friday there was “absolute clarity” during the meeting that progress on using frozen Russian assets to fund a loan to support Ukraine must be realised quickly.

The talks also addressed ways of helping protect Ukraine's power grid from Russia's almost daily drone and missile attacks as winter approaches, enhancing Ukrainian air defenses, and supplying Kyiv with longer-range missiles that can strike deep inside Russia. 

For conducting the airstrikes, Zelenskyy had sought Tomahawk missiles from the US. 

The Ukrainian leader said Trump's decision this week to impose oil sanctions was “a big step,” and said “we have to apply pressure not only to Rosneft and Lukoil, but to all Russian oil companies.” “Besides, we are carrying out our own campaign of pressure with drones and missiles specifically targeting the Russian oil sector," he said during a news conference at the Foreign Office in London, AP reported. 

Trump has said he is still not ready to provide Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk missiles. NATO Chief Mark Rutte said he had discussed the issue with Trump.

"On particularly the Tomahawks, of course, the president and I discussed that. The issue remains under review by the president and again, it's up to the U.S to decide," said Rutte.

Trump has put a hold on his upcoming summit with Putin in Budapest, as he didn't want it to be a “waste of time.”

Moscow has promised a "painful response" if the assets are seized.