WASHINGTON (AP) – Donald Trump has blocked numerous sanctions on Russia two days before they were due to take effect, as a row with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky deepens.
The sanctions were passed by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by Trump in September.
But the U.S. president issued an executive order on Friday night saying that suspending some was in the U.S. ‘national interest’, prompting a backlash from U.S. lawmakers. Zelensky said it was unfortunate the U.S. has decided to “completely disregard” the sanctions.
Relations between Washington and Kyiv frayed after the U.S. struck a controversial deal to import Russian diesel last week. Ukraine then accused the Trump administration of withdrawing key military support.
Trump and Zelensky have exchanged sharp words about one another. Ukraine’s president declared 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.
The new U.S. sanctions law took aim at Russia’s economy, giving Trump broad powers to levy tariffs of up to 100% on imports from the top five purchasers of Russian oil and gas – most significantly China and India.
It also included sanctions against senior Russian figures, including Putin, as well as Russian financial institutions and Moscow’s so-called “shadow fleet” of vessels used to circumvent existing embargoes.
Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev called the waiver ‘an important and truly historic moment’.
Posting on X, he said the sanctions would have inflicted ‘serious damage’ primarily on the U.S. and global market, and that economic cooperation benefits both nations.
Democrats including the Virginia Congressman Don Beyer have criticized the move, accusing Trump of capitulating to Moscow and turning his back on Kyiv and Zelensky.
On Friday, European Union leaders expressed regret over the U.S. decision to lift sanctions on Russian diesel, reaffirming their continued support for Ukraine.
“The European Council regrets the United States’ decision to temporarily lift sanctions on Russian diesel,” they said in conclusions adopted after a two-day European Council meeting on Oct. 15-16 in Brussels.
Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump said he struck a deal to obtain diesel from Russia to address high fuel prices.
The leaders called for the immediate restoration of safe passage for all civilian and commercial vessels in the Black Sea, describing attacks on shipping, including in the exclusive economic zones of Bulgaria and Romania, as “unacceptable and constitute a serious violation of international and maritime law.”
They urged for stronger measures to counter hybrid threats, protect critical infrastructure and improve preparedness, saying further restrictive measures and tighter visa requirements for Russian nationals would be considered urgently.
On European security, the leaders underlined the need to strengthen the EU’s defense capabilities while maintaining NATO’s role as the foundation of collective defense for its members.