Zelensky's sanctions on oligarchs and Poroshenko, 13 February 2025
A look back at the sanctions decision announced on 13 February 2025, a day after Donald Trump said talks with Russia would begin.
What did Ukraine's president announce on 13 February 2025? According to reports from that day, President Volodymyr Zelensky introduced sanctions against several oligarchs and other individuals, among them former president Petro Poroshenko.
The list also included Viktor Medvedchuk, Kostyantyn Zhevago, Ihor Kolomoisky and Hennadiy Bogolyubov. The measures were linked to suspicions of "state treason" and of assisting a terrorist organisation. They also concerned the role of those named in undermining national security through disadvantageous business deals with Russia.
The backdrop
The decision came a day after US president Donald Trump said that negotiations with Russia to end the war in Ukraine would begin. He made the announcement on 12 February 2025, following a telephone call with Russian president Vladimir Putin, and said the talks would start immediately.
The reports from 12 and 13 February 2025 do not connect the two developments. They show, however, that the sanctions announcement and the announcement of US-Russian talks fell on consecutive days.
For readers following Ukrainian public life, the 13 February 2025 move stood out for the names it combined: a former head of state alongside businessmen and a politician, all accused in connection with dealings with Russia.
