Thousands of lives at stake. In a column for The Washington Post, Head of the Ukrainian Presidential Office Andrii Yermak asserted that this week, US political will could bring end to Russia’s war — by targeting its energy and financial lifelines.
Yermak called for immediate and forceful sanctions against Russia, stressing that US President Donald Trump’s recent ultimatum, reducing the window for a peace deal from 50 to 10 days, was a clear and powerful message to the Kremlin.
“These signals need to be followed up with decisive action for the war to end,” Yermak said, emphasizing Ukraine’s support for Trump’s firm stance on peace through strength — “the only language Putin understands.”
Sanctions needed: Rosatom, Gazprombank, and the shadow fleet
Yermak detailed a series of urgent sanctions Ukraine is calling for:
- Rosatom and Roscosmos: Strategic instruments of war that must face full-scale sanctions.
- Gazprombank: Still connected to SWIFT — must be cut off, alongside other smaller banks helping Russia evade restrictions.
- Microchips and Electronics: An embargo on components Russia obtains via China and Central Asia, fueling its drone and missile production.
- The Shadow Fleet: Sanctions on tankers and operators circumventing oil price caps — a crucial step to collapse Putin’s war financing.
“The tools to stop Russia exist. What is needed is the political will to use them with precision and force,” Yermak stated.
He highlighted the urgent need for targeted pressure, noting that the global community has the levers to stop the Kremlin’s military machine but only if wielded with precision and bold leadership.
US Trump’s oil tariffs rattled the Kremlin
Yermak praised Trump’s move to raise tariffs on India for buying Russian oil, calling it “a great first step” that caused panic in Moscow, and stressed that more must follow.
He also voiced support for the bipartisan bill by Senators Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal, which would impose secondary sanctions on third-country firms aiding Russia’s war economy.
“Thousands of lives depend on the success of what follows,” Yermak concluded.