Ukraine President Zelenskyy says tariffs on India ‘understandable’ but US must not wait to act against Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said it might be ‘understandable’ for Washington to impose tariffs on India but the US should not wait for others to act against Vladimir Putin. He said such delays would only give Moscow more time to prepare. He said Putin is actively trying to manipulate his way out of global isolation.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Sky News, Zelenskyy said Putin gained far too much from last month’s Alaska summit with Donald Trump from where Ukraine was excluded. “He should have received a setback in this war and stopped. But instead, he received de-isolation. He got the photos with President Trump. He received public dialogue, and I think this opens the doors for Putin into some other summits and formats,” he said.

Putin is doing everything he can to avoid sanctions, said Zelenskyy. “If you keep postponing applying sanctions any further, then the Russians will be better prepared,” he said, adding that Russia only understands force and must face much stronger measures.

Zelenskyy said the US is strong on its own. “They can make this happen quicker and all that’s lacking now is a strong sanctions package from the US,” he said.

US President Donald Trump urged European Union officials to impose tariffs of up to 100 per cent on imports from China and India, aiming to cut Russia's oil revenue and push President Vladimir Putin toward negotiations. One US official stated, "We're ready to go right now, but we're only going to do this if our European partners step up with us," while another said Washington would "mirror" EU tariffs if Brussels acted.

The move comes as the White House grows frustrated with stalled Ukraine peace efforts and increased Russian aerial attacks. Trump reportedly said, "The obvious approach here is, let's all put on dramatic tariffs and keep the tariffs on until the Chinese agree to stop buying the oil." This follows a meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping, Putin, and Prime Minister Modi at the SCO Summit. The US recently doubled tariffs on Indian imports to 50 per cent over Russian oil purchases.