Maria Starkova, Ronald Popeski

(Reuters). – Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged the Western countries to immediately tighten sanctions on Russia. He also called for an oil embargo and a ban on Russian exports to curb Moscow’s ability to increase its aggression against his country.

Zelenskiy, clearly upset by the situation, said that the West had made a mistake last year when it delayed sanctions. The invasion followed.

“A large-scale war is underway. There are warnings and hints that Russia will use chemical weapons to make it more difficult for Europe to import oil from Russia. Zelenskiy spoke occasionally, banging on the table.

“There is no other way… The people of the world who are living have to wait. Isn’t all the Russian military has done so far justification for an oil embargo. Is it not just phosphorous bombs that warrant the embargo? It is not warranted by a nuclear power plant or shelled chemical production facilities.

Russia’s March-old Invasion of Ukraine has left more than 3.8 million Ukrainians fleeing abroad. This is the largest European conflict after World War Two.

According to Zelenskiy, sanctions must be effective and serious given Russia’s past actions.

“If sanctions don’t work well enough, or are too weak, they create a danger for Russian leaders, creating a false illusion that they will continue to do what they are already doing,” he stated.

This is what Ukrainians are willing to pay with their lives. Many thousands of lives are at stake.

Already, the United States has placed an embargo against Russian oil shipping. Europe is more dependent upon Russian energy and has been less hesitant. Germany, Europe’s largest economy has declared that a similar embargo would cause recession and widespread unemployment.