Trump Waives Key Russia Sanctions Days Before They Take Effect as Row With Zelensky

President Donald Trump has blocked a number of sanctions on Russia just two days before they were due to take effect, as tensions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky grow. Congress passed the sanctions, and Trump signed them into law in September. On Friday night, though, he issued an executive order saying that suspending some of them was in the US “national interest.” The move drew a backlash from American lawmakers. Zelensky said it was unfortunate that Washington had decided to “completely disregard” the measures. A Widening Rift Between Washington and Kyiv Relations between the two governments have frayed since the US struck a controversial deal last week to import Russian diesel. Ukraine then accused the Trump administration of withdrawing key military support. The two leaders have traded sharp words. Zelensky said it was nice to be among “real leaders” while addressing an EU summit, after Trump said Zelensky was “more difficult to deal with” than Russian President Vladimir Putin. What the Sanctions Law Covered The law targeted Russia’s economy and gave Trump broad authority to impose tariffs of up to 100% on imports from the top five buyers of Russian oil and gas, most notably China and India. It also included sanctions on senior Russian figures, including Putin, as well as Russian financial institutions and the “shadow fleet” of vessels used to get around existing embargoes. Many of these provisions have now been waived. Reactions Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev called the waiver “an important and truly historic moment.” Posting on X, he said the sanctions would have done serious damage mainly to the US and global markets, and that economic cooperation benefits both countries. Democrats criticized the decision. Virginia Rep. Don Beyer accused Trump of capitulating to Moscow, writing that the move betrays Ukrainian partners and defies the clear intent of legislation designed to punish Russia for its war of aggression. Zelensky said Saturday that the sanctions “could have helped enormously” and that the law was meant to put truly effective pressure on Russia to end the war. He pointed to overnight Russian attacks on 15 Ukrainian energy facilities that caused power cuts in several regions, saying Russia is trying to cause a blackout in Ukraine right before winter. He said it was important for everyone in America to see what is really happening on the ground. He later told reporters he expects the Trump administration to lift more sanctions on Russia. He added that Ukrainian negotiators spoke with their US counterparts on Friday and that the two teams could meet next week. The Diesel Deal and “Energy Ceasefire” Zelensky and Ukraine’s European allies had already criticized Trump for temporarily suspending some US sanctions to import Russian diesel, an effort to bring down US energy prices that have surged during the Iran war. Trump has spent months dealing with the political fallout of the Middle East conflict, which has pushed fuel costs up ahead of the midterm elections, and rising inflation has hurt his standing with the public. Zelensky suggested the diesel deal was tantamount to the US investing in Russia’s war effort. A few days later, Trump claimed that Russia and Ukraine had both agreed to an “energy ceasefire” to ease Russian diesel exports. Both countries have been intensively striking each other’s energy infrastructure. Kyiv says its strikes limit revenue for Russia’s war machine, while Moscow says it only targets facilities used by the Ukrainian military. Zelensky initially expressed surprise at Trump’s announcement and said Kyiv would halt its strikes if Russia did the same. After three days that saw several fresh Russian attacks, Ukraine resumed strikes on Russian oil refineries. Trump called the strikes a “disgrace,” and Zelensky replied that he was “only standing up for Ukraine’s interests.” Starlink Disruption Adds to Tension Concerns that Trump is siding with Russia grew after disruption to a US-provided satellite system Ukraine relies on. Last week Starlink suddenly restricted the speed at which drones could fly while staying connected to the internet. Ukraine said this disrupted some battlefield missions and hampered its ability to defend against incoming attacks. During the slowdown, Russia launched several deadly strikes that residents and the government said came without prior warning. Zelensky said US officials told Ukraine the restrictions were linked to technical issues. But he said Ukraine tested Starlink on EU territory, found that “these problems do not exist,” and saw the system run at higher speeds. Trump has denied halting intelligence-sharing or deliberately slowing Ukraine’s Starlink network. Ongoing Attacks Ukrainian authorities confirmed that at least nine people have been killed and about 60 injured in Russian strikes across the country over the past 24 hours. An ambulance driver was killed and 20 others were hurt in strikes on the city of Kherson on Saturday morning. Russia’s defense ministry said it targeted industries linked to Ukraine’s defense sector, including steel works, an electrical substation and a cargo vessel in the Black Sea.