ISTANBUL

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he expects to hold an “important conversation” with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the G7 summit from June 15-17, aiming to advance talks on a sweeping sanctions package against Russia.

“This sanctions package (Graham-Blumenthal bill) is very important for us. We discussed it, they came to us, we are very positive about it. And we are truly grateful to them for that,” Zelenskyy said Thursday at a joint briefing with German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius.

However, he stressed, the final decision rests with Trump. “I expect that we will have a conversation at the G7 summit. And I really hope that if appropriate decisions are not made before that, that I will be able to at least have an understanding of how close we are to this decision,” he said, adding that coordination with EU partners on the sanctions remains essential.

The Ukrainian presidency earlier confirmed it hopes to arrange a bilateral meeting between Zelenskyy and Trump during the summit.

Their last encounter took place on April 26 at the Vatican during the funeral ceremony for Pope Francis. At that time, the two leaders discussed sanctions, air defense cooperation and an agreement on Ukraine’s subsoil resources.

In early April, US senators Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal introduced a bipartisan bill proposing severe sanctions against Russia should it refuse to pursue a lasting peace with Ukraine.

The package includes measures such as a 500% tariff on imports from countries purchasing Russian energy and other goods.

Graham recently said the bill has enough support in Congress to override any potential presidential veto, while media reports indicate the White House has sought to soften some provisions of the legislation.

The bill is expected to be introduced in the Senate shortly.