Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged supporters to back proposed United States sanctions against Russia after President Donald Trump signed an executive order putting the sweeping restrictions on hold.

Zelenskyy made the appeal on Saturday, expressing disappointment over the decision, which has raised concerns about Ukraine’s ability to withstand Russia’s attacks as winter approaches.

In a statement on social media, the Ukrainian leader called the move unfortunate but stopped short of directly criticising Trump, amid growing tensions between Kyiv and Washington in recent days.

“A decision was unfortunately made in America to completely disregard the Lindsey Graham Act, which was supposed to impose truly effective pressure on Russia to bring this war to an end,” Zelenskyy wrote.

He argued that the proposed legislation could help increase pressure on Moscow to end the war, urging supporters to continue advocating for its implementation.

“This Act could have helped enormously – and still can! But it needs to actually work, and every voice in support of it matters,” he added.

The suspension of the proposed sanctions has heightened concerns among Ukraine’s supporters that reduced economic pressure on Russia could complicate efforts to end the conflict.

Zelenskyy’s appeal comes as Ukraine continues to seek stronger international backing against Russian military operations and presses its allies to maintain pressure on Moscow.

The proposed sanctions, associated with US Senator Lindsey Graham, were intended to strengthen Washington’s economic leverage against Russia. However, Trump’s decision to put the restrictions on hold has raised fresh questions about the direction of US policy towards the conflict.