ISTANBUL

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday that Europe "must stop" imports of Russian oil and gas, stressing that "all this money is spent by Russia directly on the war."

“Europe must stop importing any Russian oil and gas. All this money is spent by Russia directly on the war. We see no increase in social support inside Russia, which means all of these funds are going to the war,” Zelenskyy said on Telegram.

He argued that cutting energy revenues would weaken Moscow’s ability to continue the conflict.

“If there is a shortage of money for the war, social support for people in Russia will decrease. If social support decreases, people will become dissatisfied. And the Russian leadership will be dissatisfied as well. History shows: Russia has always changed after hunger riots. And that is exactly what they fear,” he added.

Acknowledging the risks, Zelenskyy said alternative logistics could cost more but insisted solutions must be found. “On this, I fully support the U.S., and Ukraine is ready to help Europe,” he noted.

The Ukrainian president also called for a broader package of restrictions. “This must be part of a comprehensive solution: not only energy, but also the shadow fleet, and in principle, halting Russia’s ability to trade and export goods by sea. This is also an important way to reduce its economy. Shadow fleet, banking sector, energy—total sanctions are needed, without exceptions,” he said.