Zelenski criticizes the decision made by the US regarding Russia. “It is directly transformed into new attacks against Ukraine”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday denounced the extension of the suspension of US sanctions on Russian oil, saying that “every dollar paid for Russian oil is money for the war” of Moscow in Ukraine, reports AFP.
The US Treasury Department on Friday temporarily extended until May 16 the suspension of most sanctions targeting the Russian oil industry, amid the energy crisis sparked by the Middle East war triggered by the US-Israeli attacks on Iran in late February.
“Thanks to the relaxation of sanctions, Russian oil loaded on tankers can be sold again without consequences. This means $10 billion – a resource that is directly transformed into new attacks against Ukraine,” Zelensky said on social media.
“This week alone, Russia has launched more than 2,360 drone strikes, more than 1,320 aerial guided bombs and almost 60 missiles,” the Ukrainian leader added.
A 16-year-old boy was killed overnight in an attack on the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv and four people were injured, local authorities said on Sunday.
The decision in Washington covers all operations related to the loading and delivery of oil originating in Russia and also applies to ships in the Russian ghost fleet that have been under sanctions until now.
But transactions with Iran, North Korea, Cuba, as well as occupied Ukrainian regions, including Crimea, remain prohibited.
“The aggressor's exports must decrease, and Ukraine's far-reaching sanctions continue to serve this purpose,” added the Ukrainian president, referring to the recent multiplication of attacks by Kiev against Russia's hydrocarbon infrastructures.
