Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky used his address to the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday to sharply criticize France for lobbying Brussels to lift sanctions on Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov, a close associate of Vladimir Putin, in exchange for the release of a French national detained in Azerbaijan.
The extraordinary arrangement, which saw two billionaire names removed from the EU’s sanctions list on Tuesday following tense negotiations among member states, has drawn fierce condemnation from Kyiv as it fights to maintain international pressure on Moscow.
A Controversial Prisoner Exchange
Hours after the sanctions relief was approved, Martin Ryan, who had been imprisoned for nearly three years, was pardoned by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. The timing of the pardon, coming so quickly after the EU decision, raised questions about the diplomatic quid pro quo that secured his freedom.
Zelensky did not mince words about the consequences of such deals. “When someone in the world weakens sanctions against Russian oligarchs, it can make life more comfortable for rich Russians, but it also gives more time to the war, more time to Putin,” he declared from the UN podium.
“Russia’s revenues must therefore remain a target,” he insisted, framing the sanctions regime as an essential tool for limiting Moscow’s capacity to sustain its war effort.
Sanctions as a Weapon Against War
The Ukrainian president emphasized that the focus must remain on degrading Russia’s financial ability to continue its aggression. “Our target is Russia’s capacity to finance this war, to prolong it, to make it more brutal and more destructive,” he said.
He warned that economic leverage translates directly into geopolitical behavior. “When Russia has money, it always says no — no to diplomacy — and that is also a form of veto against peace, not an official right, but a very real one,” Zelensky stated.
His remarks echoed a message he had already delivered on Tuesday during a meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. “Wars end through determination and strength, not through concessions to the aggressor’s entourage,” he had said at the time.
Warning Against Putin’s ‘Madness’
Zelensky also issued a stark warning about the Russian leader’s intentions, describing Putin as a destabilizing force whose influence extends far beyond Ukraine’s borders.
He highlighted the involvement of soldiers from 47 countries, including North Korea, who have been sent to fight alongside Russian forces, and questioned whether anyone could still view Putin as a reasonable actor on the world stage.
“He is patient zero, the one from whom this idea of war keeps spreading,” Zelensky said, underscoring the global dimensions of the conflict.
The Ukrainian leader’s address at the UN reflects growing tensions between Kyiv and some of its European allies over the balance between humanitarian gestures and the strategic imperative of maintaining pressure on Moscow’s financial networks.
