Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky\u2019s top adviser urged the United States to \u201cstrangle\u201d the Russian economy with secondary sanctions, as President Trump\u2019s deadline for the Kremlin to stop fighting or make a deal quickly approaches.<\/p>\n
Andriy Yermak, the head of Zelensky\u2019s office, said Sunday that Russia\u2019s economy is struggling, pointing to data showing a sharp decline in cargo transportation of key resources to and from Russia in recent months.<\/p>\n
\u201cRussia is losing momentum in what it recently considered its advantage,\u201d Yermak posted to Telegram on Sunday. \u201cSanctions are working. The economy, geared for war, cannot withstand the pressure and relies solely on the sale of energy resources.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is possible to strangle the economy with secondary tariffs proposed in the USA,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n
Senators left Washington for August recess<\/a> without advancing a major sanctions bill against Moscow that would impose significant tariffs on countries that import Russian oil. That leaves the decision in Trump’s hands.<\/p>\n Trump said on July 14\u00a0that Russia would face additional sanctions and tariffs<\/a> if it did not stop fighting in Ukraine within 50 days, putting the deadline at Sept. 2. But last week, the president indicated<\/a> he would push up that time frame to Aug. 8.<\/p>\n He told reporters that he\u2019s unsure the sanctions would cause significant damage to the country, even as he pledged to follow though with his threat to impose them.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know that sanctions bother him. You know? They know about sanctions. I know better than anybody about sanctions, and tariffs and everything else. I don\u2019t know if that has any effect. But we\u2019re going to do it,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s special envoy for peace missions, Steve Witkoff, is expected to travel to Russia following a visit to Israel on Friday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky\u2019s top adviser urged the United States to \u201cstrangle\u201d the Russian economy with secondary sanctions, as President Trump\u2019s deadline for the Kremlin to stop fighting or make<\/p>\n