Ukraine welcomes ‘strong messages’ from Trump on further Russia sanctions

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Kyiv’s top diplomat on Thursday welcomed “strong messages” by US President Donald Trump with regards to putting further pressure on Russia to end the Ukraine war.

“We do really welcome such strong messages from President Trump and we believe that he will be the winner. And we believe that we have an additional chance to get new dynamic in diplomatic efforts to end this war,” Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha told a panel at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Expressing the need to further increase pressure and to “force” Moscow to negotiate, Sybiha said they need the leadership of the US and more engagement from Washington.

Sybiha argued they also need to raise the price for Russia’s actions and weaken it by implementing a “strong sanctions policy.”

He also underlined the need to strengthen Ukraine, saying they “need this deterrence package to stabilize the situation firstly on the battlefield, to strengthen our military and defense capacities.”

“And we are ready to do our homework,” the foreign minister added.

The remarks came a day after Trump said on Truth Social that Russia should "settle now" to end the war that continues for almost three years, warning of high "taxes, tariffs and sanctions" if a deal is not reached.

Commenting on Trump's remarks, the Kremlin said Russia is closely monitoring Washington’s rhetoric, and remains ready for a respectful dialogue between Trump and President Vladimir Putin, like in the US leader’s first term in office.