Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Photo: OP)

Russia fears sanctions from the United States, which US President Donald Trump has promised to impose if Russia does not agree to peace with Ukraine by August 8. This was stated by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

"Everyone knows for sure that key decisions in Russia are made by one person. And that this person is afraid of US sanctions," he said .

The President also emphasized that it is fair for Ukraine to be a participant in the negotiations.

"Russia's war against Ukraine, against our independence, as the embodiment of the independence of every European nation. Therefore, we discussed the format of the meetings of the leaders, in particular the trilateral format, in detail yesterday," Zelenskyy said .

He thanked Trump for his openness to finding solutions and expressed confidence that the war in Ukraine could be ended by a lasting peace. But all steps should be "very balanced.".