Zelenski hopes we will “remain strong” in front of Russian demands

Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski said he hoped the United States would “remain strong” to Russian demands to raise sanctions as a condition for ending fire in the Black Sea.

Moscow said that the maritime truce, announced on Tuesday, to allow the safe passage of merchant ships, will only begin after the Western restrictions on the trade in food and fertilizers of Russia have been canceled.

Zelenski spoke during a panel interview in Paris with journalists from all over Europe.

Asked by the BBC whether the US will oppose Russian pressure, he said, “I hope it is so. God bless, they will do it. But we will see.”

The White House said on Tuesday that Russian and Ukrainian delegations have agreed to end the fire in the Black Sea after three days of separate talks with US officials in Saudi Arabia.

But hours later, the Kremlin released its own statement, including a list of conditions.

His requests include Canceling Western sanctions against financial institutions Participates in agricultural trade and restores their access to Swift International Payment System – a network that facilitates secure financial messages.

Trump said the US government was “looking at” Moscow’s request to eliminate restrictions, but the EU said on Wednesday that it would not consider the removal of sanctions before the “unconditional” withdrawal of Russian troops from the internationally recognized territory of Ukraine.

Speaking to the group in Paris, Zelenski said he was “very grateful” for bilateral support from the United States, but said he was afraid that some were “under the influence of Russian stories”.

“We can’t agree with these stories,” he said.

Asked if US President Donald Trump has a closer relationship with him or Russian President Vladimir Putin, Zelenski said he did not know.

“I don’t know – it’s hard for me to say.” he said. “I don’t know what relationships there are, I don’t know how many conversations he had.”

The Ukrainian leader was also asked for comments from Trump’s envoy Steve Vikof, who rejected Europe’s efforts to create a “desire coalition” to support Ukraine In an interview last weekS

In response, he will not “rush to conclusions.”

He said that Vitcof, who has experience in property development, has no “this experience”.

“As far as I know, he knows very well how to buy and sell real estate, but it’s a little different,” he said.