Zelensky: Make potential sanctions on Russia public now

CNN —  

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday sanctions on Russia should be made public before a possible invasion of Ukraine occurs, as tensions between western nations and Russia continue to intensify.

Zelensky told CNN’s Chief International Anchor in a one-on-one interview at the Munich Security Conference that he disagreed with the stance that sanctions should only be listed after a potential Russian invasion takes place.

“The question of just making it public … just the list of sanctions, for them, for us, to know what will happen if they start the war – even that question does not have the support,” he told CNN.

“We don’t need your sanctions after the bombardment will happen and after our country will be fired at or after we will have no borders, or after we will have no economy … why would we need those sanctions then?”

“We had a discussion some time ago with one of the leaders of one of the leading countries and we were talking about the sanctions policy … we had a different vision on how sanctions should applied when Russian aggression will happen,” Zelensky said. “So when you are asking, what can be done, well, lots of different things can be done. We can even provide you with a list. The most important is willingness.

“If you can’t even disclose what will happen to whom if the war starts … I doubt it will be triggered after it happens,” he added.

The security conference is taking place as the brewing conflict between Russia and Ukraine threatens to boil over and diplomatic efforts stall.

Russia has been tightening its military grip around Ukraine since last year, amassing tens of thousands of troops, equipment and artillery on the country’s doorstep. The aggression has sparked warnings from US officials that a Russian invasion is imminent.

When asked about a potential false flag pretext for war with Russia, Zelensky told Amanpour that “any provocations are very dangerous.”

“I think the most complicated question is that in Crimea, in the temporary occupied territory of the Donbas along Ukraine and Russia, there is 30 to 35,000 on the temporary occupying territories … so provocations are, indeed, very dangerous, if you have this number of troops. One shelling, one cannon fire can lead to war,” Zelensky warned.

“This is what our partners believe, I mean the partners that are around us that have joined borders with us. We know the history of the Soviet Union and they do understand the kind of risks we are facing. Poland, the Baltic states, Lithuania and Estonia, Latvia, Moldova – they know what that could lead to. So, we need to be very careful,” he continued.

He went on to say casualties between Ukraine and Russia were more significant in 2014 but admitted that current tensions are “horrible” and “a tragedy for our nation, for our people.”

“This is the tragedy for Russians as well who used to have good relations with Ukraine,” he added.

Zelensky also explained that his attendance at the conference on Saturday was to ensure there was a Ukrainian voice was in the room. “I’m the president, it’s important for all our partners and friends to not agree about anything behind our back,” he said. “We’re not panicking, we’re very consistent that we are not responding to any provocations.”

His appearance in Germany had been under intense scrutiny after it was revealed that Biden administration officials had privately urged the Ukrainian leader to remain at home amid concerns of a possible Russian incursion, according to three US officials and one senior Ukrainian official.

Some US officials were concerned that Zelensky’s absence from Ukraine could open the door for Russia to make false claims that he has fled.

However, the president’s office confirmed earlier Saturday he would attend the conference and meet US Vice President Kamala Harris, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson before returning to Kyiv later the same day.

Hours before the sit-down with Amanpour, Zelensky met with Harris, telling her he was grateful for US support, particularly in bolstering Ukraine’s defense capacity.

“This is our land and the only thing we want is to have peace, bring the peace back to our country,” Zelensky said.

In the bilateral meeting which lasted roughly 45 minutes, Harris told the Ukrainian leader that the US “takes seriously the importance of the integrity and the territorial integrity of Ukraine and your sovereignty, and the United States stands with Ukraine in this regard.”

“Any threats to your country we take seriously, and we have rallied our allies and our partners to speak with one voice,” the vice president said.

Harris said she wanted to hear directly from Zelensky about his concerns and the developing situation on the ground and would share with him information the US has about the current crisis.

“As you know, this is a decisive moment in our world history,” Harris told Zelensky.