NEW DELHI
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged India, China and Turkey to halt energy trade with Russia, arguing that pressure on Moscow’s economy could help end the war in Ukraine. His comments came in an interview with The Wall Street Journal.
Zelenskyy said Russia relies on energy trade with countries and suggested that coordinated pressure from the United States, India and China could affect Moscow’s ability to continue fighting. He called for an end to purchases of Russian energy, saying such a move could pressure Russia to stop the war.
India’s Russian oil imports have already declined. Reuters reported that imports fell 16.5 per cent month-on-month in August to about 2.1 million barrels per day. Despite the decline, Russia still remained India’s largest oil supplier, followed by the UAE and Venezuela. Preliminary data from Kpler indicated that Russian oil imports could fall to about 1.9 million barrels per day in September.
Zelenskyy also said he had sought military equipment from US President Donald Trump for winter, including Patriot air defence systems. He expressed confidence that Washington would pursue an agreement to halt attacks on energy infrastructure.
Zelenskyy said negotiations remained difficult for now, with Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to Zelenskyy, not ready for an agreement. His remarks came days after Trump signed legislation giving the US president authority to impose tariffs of up to 100 per cent on goods from countries meeting criteria linked to Russian energy purchases. The measure does not automatically impose tariffs on any country.
“If China will pressure, like they have to, between us like they had already, and India, it is enough to stop them.” Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukrainian President.
