Ukrainian President Zelenskyy Urges US To Expand Russian Oil Sanctions, Seeks Long-Range Missiles

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, during meetings in London with over two dozen European leaders, urged the United States to expand sanctions on the entire Russian oil sector beyond just two companies, Rosneft and Lukoil, calling the recent U.S. sanctions a "big step" but emphasizing the need for broader pressure. The talks, hosted by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, focused on increasing military support for Ukraine, including the provision of long-range missiles such as Tomahawks, which U.S. President Donald Trump has considered but not yet fully committed to supplying. The coalition also discussed protecting Ukraine's power grid from near-daily Russian drone and missile attacks as winter approaches, enhancing air defenses, and continuing sanctions to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump postponed a planned meeting with Putin in Budapest, citing concerns about it being a "waste of time," while Russia's Kirill Dmitriev arrived in the U.S. for talks, suggesting some diplomatic progress might be near. Despite sanctions and military support, Putin has resisted negotiating a peace settlement, and Russia continues to find ways to circumvent sanctions. European leaders remain cautious about using frozen Russian assets to fund Ukraine due to potential retaliatory threats from Moscow.