Zelensky seeks Senate backing for Russia sanctions bill

Following a meeting with U.S. senators, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that the bill to increase sanctions pressure on Russia is extremely important both for curbing the financing of the war and as a signal of support for Ukraine and its European partners.

He made these remarks to reporters after meeting with U.S. lawmakers, CE Report quotes Ukrinform.

“First and foremost, we are very grateful to the senators and very grateful for this discussion. We discussed in detail how to help Ukraine, and we are grateful: this bill is very important.” Sanctions pressure on Russia is very important, Zelensky added.

According to him, “This is not just about money, not just about depriving Russia of the ability to finance this war, but also about sending a powerful signal to Europe, a powerful signal to Ukraine, and providing great support for our people.”

“I hope, with God’s help, we will achieve a positive outcome,” the President noted.

He also mentioned that during his meeting with the senators, he raised the issue of strengthening Ukraine’s air defense, specifically securing missiles for the Patriot systems.

“We talked about missiles for the Patriot system…,” he said. “Ukraine is indeed capable of producing everything that can destroy anything—from Iranian ‘Shaheds’ to Russian drones… We have drones and modern electronic warfare systems. The real problem is anti-ballistic defense systems and anti-ballistic missiles.”

Zelensky said that he “shared what we need, our requirements.”

“I spoke about this today with the president… and have now shared this with the senators. We will try to resolve this issue. It is a very big challenge,” the head of state emphasized.

Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen, for her part, expressed confidence that the Senate would support the bill.

“We already have 61 votes. So we are moving toward passing this bill. It will be passed,” Shaheen stated.

As reported, the U.S. Senate plans to vote on a bill to strengthen sanctions against Russia on Tuesday (Wednesday Kyiv time) following a meeting between lawmakers and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who arrived in Washington for the funeral of Senator Lindsey Graham and to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump.

Photo: Office of the President of Ukraine