ISTANBUL 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday that US President Donald Trump's Gaza ceasefire plan provides "hope" that a similar approach could end the Russia-Ukraine war.

"Of course, it gives signals for us, and hope that with such pressure, what President Trump used in (the) Middle East to make peace, and I hope that he will use the same instrument – even more – to pressure (Russian President Vladimir) Putin to stop his war in Ukraine," Zelenskyy told Fox News.

He emphasized the importance of secondary sanctions on Russia. "The secondary sanctions (are) very painful for Russia. Everybody understands it. It depends on President Trump's will ... and I'm asking him to ... support this package of secondary sanctions," he said.

Zelenskyy acknowledged European progress on reducing Russian energy dependence, saying Europe "decreased 80% of their contracts on energy during all this period of war."

"But it's not enough," he added.

US Tomahawk missiles

On the US sending long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles to Kyiv, Zelenskyy said the two countries are working on it.

Last Monday, Trump said he was close to deciding whether to send Tomahawks to Kyiv, adding that he wants to “find out what they're doing with them, where they're sending them.”

Zelenskyy said Ukraine will use it solely on military targets. "We never, even with ... all this pain of losses ... attacked their civilians," he said. "That's why, if we speak about long range, we speak only about military goals."

Russian President Vladimir Putin has voiced concern over the US sending Ukraine Tomahawks, warning that this would “destroy” US-Russian ties and lead to a “completely new, qualitatively new stage of escalation."

The comments follow Zelenskyy's second phone call with Trump over the weekend. He described Saturday's conversation as "very productive," and the second call focused on Ukraine’s defenses and other topics.

A Ukrainian delegation made up of Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, Ukraine’s Presidential Office head Andriy Yermak, and Sanctions Policy Commissioner Vladyslav Vlasiuk are set to travel to the US this week.