Zelenskyy: Gifts to Putin will not bring peace and will not provide any benefit to the civilized world

«Peace through weakness never happens. Today in Kyiv there were representatives of the US Congress — a bipartisan delegation. I am grateful to them for their visit to Ukraine at such a difficult time. They asked: «What is needed to end the war?»

The answer must be decisive. There must be sanctions in accordance with the Lindsey Graham Act, there must be support for Ukraine in defending lives, and there must be pressure on Russia for the war. But today a conversation between the leaders of America and Russia took place. A conversation that leads to something else.

Recently, Europe made a decision to lift sanctions from Russian oligarchs. After that, Russian strikes and abuses against people only increased. Just this week — a brutal Russian missile strike on a house in Pryluky, air bombs on Kramatorsk, on ordinary city buses, constant shelling of energy facilities in Kyiv, life-sustaining infrastructure in Dnipro, Kharkiv, Odesa, and our other cities. Dozens killed and hundreds wounded.

Russians compensate for their inability to achieve their stated goals on the front with such terror. This year, Russia on the front is weaker than at any other period of the war. That is why Putin relies on terror. That is why he relies on attempts at backroom agreements about this or that easing of pressure on Russia, to gain more time and opportunities to continue the war.

Any softening of sanctions against Russia without a clear and lasting agreement with it on de-escalation — is obvious weakness. This works in Russia's favor, contributing to it killing more people, fighting longer, respecting America even less, and inflicting even greater losses and harm on the world.

Ukraine is ready for reciprocal steps towards de-escalation, and the American team knows our position. Our strikes on Russian oil refineries and other oil facilities — are a response to Russia's long-standing terror campaign against Ukrainian energy infrastructure.

Ukraine will not burn Russian oil refineries if Russia does not destroy our energy infrastructure. We offer America exactly such an agreement and believe that the United States has enough influence to achieve this compromise.

Gifts to Putin will not bring peace and will not provide any benefit to the civilized world. Russia will «thank» for diesel with further terror and meanness. Allowing Russia to sell oil products — is an investment in the war, which must be ended, not continued. A real de-escalation with Russia is needed, and in a mirror format.

We count on fair support from America in defending our lives and our people in Ukraine, as well as on an appropriate decisive conversation between the United States and Russia. Decisive, not weak» — wrote the President of Ukraine.

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