New York: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called on major buyers of Russian energy, naming India, China and Turkey, to halt their trade with Moscow, arguing that it is sustaining Russia's war economy. Zelensky made the remarks in an interview with The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday while in New York for the UN General Assembly.
What Zelensky Said
Zelensky told the newspaper that Russia was basing its economy on energy sales to India, and at times Turkey and China, and argued that if these countries stopped that trade, Russia would be forced to stop fighting. He said he hoped the war would end before winter and that US President Donald Trump would help bring it to a close.
In the same interview, Zelensky said Trump had not asked him to stop Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries, though he acknowledged American partners had raised the issue before over concerns about energy prices.
The New US Sanctions Law
Zelensky's comments came days after Trump signed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 into law on September 18. The Senate passed the bill 86-11 in August and the House passed it 262-159 on September 16.
The law authorises the US president to impose tariffs of up to 100% on goods from the largest buyers of Russian oil and gas. It does not impose them automatically. The administration must first identify which countries are covered and decide the applicable rate, and the president can grant waivers. The law also extends existing US sanctions on Iran by five years.
India's Position
India began buying discounted Russian crude after Western countries imposed sanctions on Moscow following its February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, and has become one of Russia's biggest customers. After the sanctions bill cleared Congress, the Indian government said it had noted its passage and was monitoring developments, reiterating its commitment to energy security for its 1.4 billion people through diversified sourcing and evolving market dynamics. It added that the matter had been discussed at high levels with US officials.
India's Russian oil purchases have already been falling. Reuters reported that imports dropped 16.5% in August to around 2.1 million barrels per day, with preliminary data pointing to about 1.9 million barrels per day in September, though Russia remains India's largest supplier.
Sources
The Wall Street Journal (interview), as reported by The Guardian, Asian News Channel and OneIndia; Outlook India and White House statement on the sanctions law; Reuters data on India's crude imports.
Latest Development
As of September 23, the US administration has not announced which countries will face tariffs under the new law. India's Ministry of External Affairs has not issued a direct response to Zelensky's latest remarks.