"Right Idea": Ukraine's Zelensky Backs Trump's Russian Oil Tariff On India

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has backed US President Donald Trump's tariffs on trading partners who have trade ties with Russia, including India, calling the action a "right idea". Talking to American broadcaster ABC, Zelensky labelled Moscow's energy trade as Russian President Vladimir Putin's weapon against Ukraine, and said the exports need to be stopped. 

"I think the idea to put tariffs on countries who continue to make deals with Russia is a right idea," Zelensky said when asked about a recent meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Putin in China. 

Journalist: You saw the meeting between Modi, Xi and Putin. Did Trump's plan of putting tariffs on India backfire?

Zelensky: It is the right idea to put tariffs on countries that continue to make deals with Russia pic.twitter.com/yRlVYmilfe

— Shashank Mattoo (@MattooShashank) September 8, 2025

Trump has doubled tariffs on Indian goods to a whopping 50 per cent, including 25  per cent additional duties for India's purchase of Russian crude oil. India, however, has called the US action "unfair, unjustified and unreasonable". New Delhi has also made consistent calls for an end to the conflict in Ukraine.

Zelensky also attacked Ukraine's European partners for continuing the energy trade with Moscow, and said, "We all understand that we need additional pressure on Putin. We need pressure from the United States. And I said that I think that President Trump is right about the Europeans -- I am very thankful to all the partners. But some of them, I mean, they continue to buy oil and Russian gas. And this is not fair...So we have to stop buying any kind of energy from Russia...I think the idea to put tariffs on countries who continue to make deals with Russia is a right idea."

"This is only one, one way [of] how to stop the killer. You need to take off his, I mean, to take off his weapon. Energy is his weapon," Zelensky added.

Asked about the grand welcome that Putin received in the US during his recent meeting with Trump in Alaska, the Ukrainian leader said, "It's a pity that Ukraine was not there".

"Trump gave Putin what he wanted... he wanted to meet the US President... Putin wanted to show everybody that he is there," Zelensky said. 

He also rejected the Russian Presidnet Putin's invite to Moscow for talks, and said, "He (Putin) can come to Kyiv... I can't go to Moscow when my country is under missiles."

Zelensky's comments came before Trump on Sunday threatened to impose more sanctions on Russia, after the Kremlin unleashed its biggest-ever aerial barrage at Ukraine.

Russian missiles and drones rained down across Ukraine early Sunday, killing four people and setting government offices in the capital Kyiv ablaze. Trump told reporters after the assault that he was "not happy with the whole situation" and said he was prepared to move forward on new sanctions on Moscow.

Russia has intensified its onslaught against Ukraine since a meeting between Trump and President Vladimir Putin on August 15 failed to make any breakthrough on a ceasefire. Zelensky said he was counting on a "strong" US response.