LAST UPDATE | 23 Oct

UKRAINE’S PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR Zelenskyy has said new sanctions imposed on Russia’s energy sector send a “strong and much-needed” message.

The US and EU have both announced fresh sanctions on Russia’s energy sector to build pressure on Moscow to come to the negotiating table on agreeing an end to the war.

Zelenskyy thanked US President Donald Trump for a “resolute and well-targeted decision” and said the sanctions were a “clear signal that prolonging the war and spreading terror come at a cost”.

“We waited for this. God bless it will work and this is very important,” Zelenskyy told journalists at an EU summit in Brussels.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin is among leaders attending today’s European Council summit.

The bloc’s 27 leaders are expected to reaffirm their commitment to Ukraine’s territorial integrity in the face of Russia’s war, as well as agreeing to move forward with plans to use frozen Russian central bank assets for a major loan to Ukraine.

Speaking last night in the White House alongside Nato leadership, Trump said he hoped the new “tremendous sanctions” against Russian oil giants Rosneft and Lukoil would be short-lived.

The penalties come after plans for a summit with Putin in Budapest collapsed.

“Every time I speak with Vladimir, I have good conversations, and then they don’t go anywhere,” Trump said in response to a question in the Oval Office.

Along with the US, the EU has also targeted Russia’s fossil fuels, bringing forward a ban on the import of liquefied natural gas by a year to the start of 2027.

It also blacklisted over 100 more tankers from Moscow’s so-called “shadow fleet” of ageing oil vessels and imposed controls on the travel of Russian diplomats suspected of espionage.

The package was formally adopted today, just before Zelenskyy joined EU leaders for summit talks focused on shoring up support for Ukraine.