Thread by @ZelenskyyUa

Addressing the Fair Play Conference, I stressed: Russia’s war is critically dependent on its trade with the outside world. We need a new international platform to control dual-use exports and protect ourselves from Russia and its accomplices.

Russian missiles, drones, nearly all battlefield equipment that actually works, as well as their finances, tech companies, and communications, rely on how Russia trades with the world, sells oil and other goods, imports technology, equipment, and components.

Russian weapons production directly depends on access to advanced machinery. Their missiles and drones are built with dozens of critical components that they import through various schemes from other countries. The Russian budget hinges on oil and gas revenues.

The Russian economy and oligarchs cannot function without financial ties to jurisdictions around the world. Just as importantly, the personal wealth of Putin’s so-called “elite”: all these murderers and their accomplices.

They love money, their luxurious lifestyles, hoarding stolen assets, and want good education for their children – especially in Europe – and proper healthcare. But the longer Russia wages this war, the fewer proper things remain in Russia itself.

The so-called “Putin’s elite” understands this all too well, and desperately wants the West not only to stop introducing new sanctions, but to weaken all existing ones. So our shared task is clear: as long as Russia invests in this war, the world must remain closed to them.

Unfortunately, even now, Western countries still supply Russia with equipment and critical components. Our experts have identified hundreds of component types found in Russian drones and missiles.

Just last year, Russia received industrial machinery for military production from at least 12 countries: China, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, France, Germany, Italy, Türkiye, and the US among them. Deliveries for 2026 have already been contracted too. This must be stopped.

We must intensify pressure on entities helping Russia’s exports, those transporting oil, or helping bypass financial restrictions. We must act now to ensure emerging technologies, especially AI, are covered by export controls, as AI is increasingly integrated into modern weapons.

We must restrict exports to Russia of:
•ready-made AI models suitable for military use;
•tools and services for AI training, including cloud services;
•high-performance computing equipment;
•specialized datasets including commercial satellite imagery.

Our sanctions work must be precise and cutting edge. A new international platform is needed to control dual-use exports. It will help protect us not only from Russia directly, but also indirectly from its accomplices, regimes like those in Pyongyang and Tehran.

We must work directly with global producers of equipment and components, as well as major developers, to ensure tighter control over where their products end up. Negligence in control must lead to inclusion in sanctions lists and the imposition of effective restrictions.

I want to specifically commend everyone working to limit Russia’s profits from energy exports. Thanks to our state institutions, strong partners, and civil society cooperation, we’re seeing real results in sanctioning Russia’s shadow tanker fleet. We must do even more.

Sanctions should target tanker captains, related legal entities, and oil terminals. It’s a huge effort: export controls, supply chain restrictions, blocking financial tools, applying personal sanctions. But it’s essential, because without it, Moscow won’t even consider peace.

This war must become an ever-growing problem for Russia. Every Russian strike must trigger new sanctions in response. I discussed this with partners in Europe and at the G7 Summit in Canada. Our partners are ready to support us. I thank everyone who is helping.