U.S. President Donald Trump said that sanctions on Russian oil imposed when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 will go back once the Middle East crisis is over.
He said this in an interview with NBC News on Saturday, Ukrinform reports.
“I want to have oil for the world. I want to have oil,” Trump said.
He added that sanctions against Russia will “go back as soon as the crisis is over.”
Commenting on reports that Russia had provided Iran with intelligence on the location of U.S. forces, Trump said: “Russia is perhaps giving information, perhaps they’re not.”
He added that the U.S. is “doing that against them,” because “we’re giving a little information to Ukraine and we’re trying to make peace between the two nations.”
At the same time, he again accused President Volodymyr Zelensky of allegedly being unwilling to reach an agreement.
“I’m surprised that Zelensky doesn’t want to make a deal. Tell Zelensky to make a deal because Putin’s willing to make a deal,” Trump said, offering no evidence for his criticism. “Zelensky is far more difficult to make a deal with,” he added.
He also repeated that the United States does not need Ukraine’s help in defending against drone attacks.
“We don’t need help,” Trump said, adding that “the last person we need help from is Zelensky.”
At the same time, the U.S. President declined to comment on whether the U.S. has accepted Ukraine’s help with drone interception technology.
As Ukrinform previously reported, the United States decided to temporarily lift sanctions on the sale of Russian oil and petroleum products loaded onto ships before March 12.
Photo: Office of the President of Ukraine
