As Russia hits Ukraine, Zelensky’s G7 arrival is overshadowed by Trump’s exit

Even if Zelensky can win support for more sanctions, Trump’s lack of criticism of Russia promises to complicate any effort to increase pressure on the Kremlin.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is looking for Western countries to increase pressure on Russia. Picture: Christian Bruna/Getty Images

A day after President Trump signalled that Ukraine isn’t a top priority, and following Russia’s deadliest attack on Kyiv in weeks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky Tuesday plans to lobby other allies for help against Moscow.

But even if Zelensky can win support for more sanctions on Russia from leaders of the Group of Seven industrial nations after Trump left their summit early, Trump’s lack of criticism of Russia promises to complicate any effort to increase pressure on the Kremlin.

Zelensky is set to arrive at the G7 summit in the Canadian Rockies, which Trump left ahead of schedule on Monday, saying he had to return to Washington to focus on Israel’s clash with Iran.

European leaders want to keep the Trump administration engaged in supporting Ukraine, including by providing military intelligence and equipment, and convince Trump to back more sanctions to hurt Russia economically. They hope that would push Russia into accepting a ceasefire.

Trump, who has sought to broker peace between Russia and Ukraine, suggested this month that both sides might need to keep fighting before they are ready to make peace. On Monday, he expressed coolness toward tightening sanctions.

“When I sanction a country, that costs the US a lot of money — a tremendous amount of money,” he said. “Sanctions are not that easy.”

President Donald Trump boards Air Force One at Calgary International Airport, on his way back to Washington. Picture: AP /Mark Schiefelbein

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.) has introduced a Russia sanctions bill that would impose 500 per cent tariffs on countries that buy Russian oil. He has said it would give Trump more leverage to end the war. Trump had earlier referred to the plan as a “harsh bill” and warned that it would need his approval.

Trump also criticised ejecting Russia from what had been the G8 following Russia’s 2014 seizure of the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine. “I think that was a mistake,” Trump said. “I think you wouldn’t have a war right now if you had Russia in.”

Trump’s early departure from the G7 summit means he will miss a planned breakfast discussion on Tuesday about Ukraine, which Zelensky is expected to join along with North Atlantic Treaty Organisation Secretary-General Mark Rutte, people familiar with the summit planning said.

Overnight, Ukraine was hit by a barrage of Russian missiles and drones that killed at least 15 people and wounded 75 others, Zelensky said in a social-media post. The attacks reduced part of an apartment building to rubble and struck private residences and dormitories in Kyiv.

Zelensky on Sunday said he wants Ukraine’s allies to tighten sanctions targeting Russia’s oil and financial sectors.

“The United States, the European Union and the G7 countries have the power to make this happen,” he wrote in a social-media post.

The EU proposed a new sanctions package this month, including a push to lower the existing price cap on Russian oil to $45 a barrel from $60. The price cap, backed by G7 countries in 2022, prevents companies from providing financial services for Russian seaborne oil shipments unless the oil is sold below that level.

They also proposed new measures targeting Russian banks that would effectively end efforts to revive Russia’s Nord Stream pipelines to Germany and a ban on refined products from third countries based on Russian oil.

The leaders discussed the price cap and the recent rise in oil prices during the summit on Monday. Higher prices could complicate the EU proposal, which was made when oil prices were close to the $60 price cap.

EU foreign-policy chief Kaja Kallas suggested on June 12 that the bloc could move forward without the US if necessary, but enforcing such measures without Washington’s help would be hard. The US largely controls the flow of dollars, the currency in which most international oil transactions are conducted, and has the only global forces able to enforce restrictions on shipping.

The European Union wants to prevent Russian banks from helping to revive Russia’s Nord Stream pipelines to Germany. Picture: Nord Stream 2/File

European and other officials worry that the US is pursuing a deeper relationship with Russia while curbing its support for Ukraine.

Zelensky and Trump clashed during the Ukrainian leader’s visit to the Oval Office in February. A subsequent meeting at the Vatican was “very productive,” a US official said.

Trump and Zelensky are expected to attend a coming NATO summit in The Hague, which starts on June 24.

Graham last week said he was impressed with Europe’s resolve in toughening sanctions and investing in defence. He said he had tweaked the bill to ensure that sanctions would only apply to countries that do business with Russia, and include exceptions for those that support Ukraine.

“If a country buys cheap Russian oil and gas and other products and doesn’t help Ukraine, they are screwed. That is the price for propping up [Vladimir] Putin’s war machine,” Graham said.

Wall Street Journal