ISTANBUL 

Former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko announced Wednesday that sanctions were imposed on him by the country's National Security and Defense Council (NSDC).

In a video statement on X, Poroshenko defined the decision as “unconstitutional and politically motivated.”

His remarks came soon after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address on X that he just held a meeting of the NSDC, during which the council approved decisions which will be published tomorrow.

“We are defending our state and restoring justice: everyone who undermined Ukraine's national security and helped Russia – every one of them must be held accountable.

“The billions that were earned, essentially, by selling out Ukraine, Ukraine's interests, Ukraine's security must be frozen and must be used to protect Ukraine and Ukrainians. And this will happen. For sure,” Zelenskyy added.

Poroshenko, who was Zelenskyy's predecessor from 2014 to 2019, went on to accuse the Ukrainian president of dealing a “colossal blow” to national unity, saying that all the responsibility for the negative consequences of the decision lies directly with him.

Zelenskyy has yet to respond to Poroshenko’s remarks.