Zelensky urges leaders to restrict trade with Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged governments to restrict trade with Russia and keep its revenues in focus, arguing in a September 23 address to the United Nations General Assembly that money from trade helps sustain Russia’s war against Ukraine. When countries provide Russia with revenue through trade, Zelensky said, they give the war more time. He called on leaders to maintain economic pressure and said Ukraine was also targeting Russian revenues. The address did not establish whether any governments would adopt new restrictions in response. Zelensky cast limiting Moscow’s financial resources as part of efforts to constrain its ability to continue fighting. He also questioned Russian President Vladimir Putin’s willingness to end the war, saying that something seemed to prevent him from declaring it over. Those remarks were part of Zelensky’s assessment; the address offered no new peace proposal or response from Putin. The Ukrainian president also described Russia’s military activity and Ukraine’s response.