Trump Pauses Russia Sanctions, Zelenskyy Criticizes

President Donald Trump signed an executive order pausing a sweeping package of U.S. sanctions targeting the Russian economy, which were set to take effect on October 18.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged supporters to speak out in defense of the sanctions, calling Trump's move unfortunate and stating it only helps Putin and gives him every reason to continue the war indefinitely. Zelenskyy expressed hope the sanctions could be revived, stating the "Lindsey Graham Act" could help enormously. The legislation, named after the late Senator Lindsey Graham, sought to clamp down on financial resources fueling Russia's war against Ukraine and would have sanctioned Russian officials, banks, and a shadow fleet of tankers.

Trump told Congress the pause was in the national interest but provided no further details. The Kremlin hailed Trump's waiver as historic. Russian President Vladimir Putin's economy envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, called the suspension an important and truly historic moment. The sanctions package also included tariffs of up to 500% on Russian goods and up to 100% on countries purchasing Russian oil or gas.

Trump's order waives these specific provisions, though existing sanctions remain in place. Critics, including Senators Richard Blumenthal and Thom Tillis, condemned the decision. The move comes after Trump announced a deal for Russia to supply diesel fuel to the global market and amid tensions over Ukraine's attacks on Russian energy infrastructure. Zelenskyy stated that Russia is trying to cause a blackout in Ukraine before winter by attacking critical power generation and transmission facilities.