Former U.S. Special Representative to Ukraine Kurt Volker stated that achieving peace with russia is unlikely for now, but a ceasefire is possible if financial pressure on the kremlin is intensified. He said this during the GLOBSEC-2025 forum in the Czech Republic on Friday, June 13, as reported by “European Pravda”.
Volker commented on whether U.S. President Donald Trump is essential to achieving peace with russia.
"I don’t think we will have peace. I agree with the minister: there may be a ceasefire regime. But to get there, we need to 'strangle' putin’s finances, so it becomes very difficult for him to maintain the russian state and wage war without revenues", - he replied.
According to him, the U.S. should ensure stable arms supplies to Ukraine, even on a paid basis, without additional burden on American taxpayers. In this, the diplomat emphasized, Trump could play a key role.
Volker stressed the urgency of strengthening Ukraine’s defense capabilities, as russia is trying to regroup and fortify its positions. He added that the world should prepare for a "prolonged and tense standoff" over the territory occupied by russia.
"No one is going to attack russia or capture moscow, but we must be ready for a long, tense standoff over the occupied territory of Ukraine", - he said.
Commenting on the new sanctions package under consideration in the U.S. Senate, Volker criticized the previous approaches of former U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration.
"During the first three years of the war, sanctions had exceptions – particularly for payments to russian banks for energy. This allowed putin to avoid feeling serious economic pressure", - he said.
The new package, according to the diplomat, includes important changes – it maintains core sanctions, imposes restrictions on the 'shadow fleet', removes exceptions, and introduces penalties for those helping russia circumvent sanctions.
"This is a serious deterrent mechanism. If combined with a policy of maintaining low global oil prices, it could seriously hit putin’s budget", - Volker concluded.