Donald Trump blocked numerous sanctions on Russia two days before they were due to take effect. The measures had been passed by Congress and signed into law by the president himself in September.
On Friday night he issued an executive order suspending a range of them, saying it was in the US national interest. Many of the law's provisions are now waived.
What the law did
The sanctions bill gave Trump broad powers to levy tariffs of up to 100% on imports from the five largest purchasers of Russian oil and gas, most significantly China and India. It also covered sanctions on senior Russian figures including Vladimir Putin, on Russian financial institutions, and on Moscow's "shadow fleet" of vessels used to dodge existing embargoes.
The reaction
Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev called the waiver "an important and truly historic moment", saying on X that the sanctions would have done "serious damage", mainly to the US and the global market.
The criticism from Trump's own side was sharper than the criticism from Moscow's. Senator Ted Cruz, normally an ally, said on Fox News: "I wish the president hadn't done it." He argued there were other ways to address diesel prices and that "the current path, unfortunately, just... benefits Putin and that's not a good idea."
Senator John Cornyn: "Helping Putin in Ukraine is reckless. He would not stop with Ukraine and our NATO allies would be next." Senator Thom Tillis called it "beyond irresponsible", noting the bill passed with only 11 senators opposed. Representative Don Bacon said lawmakers would resist funding the president's agenda "knowing he is propping up a dictator's invasion and throwing an ally under the bus".
Democrat Don Beyer accused Trump of capitulating to Moscow and defying "clear congressional intent".
Why it matters
- This is a president suspending a sanctions regime he signed, passed by a large bipartisan majority, days before it bit. Whatever the legal footing, the signal to Moscow is that US sanctions carry an expiry date set by one person.
- The stated reason is energy prices. The US is importing Russian diesel to bring down costs during the Iran war, with midterms next month and voters sour on affordability. Foreign policy is being set by domestic fuel prices.
- Zelensky says the sanctions "could have helped enormously" and were meant to impose "truly effective pressure on Russia to bring this war to an end". He expects more waivers to follow.
- The tech layer is worth watching too. Ukraine says Starlink suddenly restricted the speed at which its drones could fly while staying connected, disrupting battlefield missions during a period of deadly Russian strikes. US officials told Kyiv it was a technical issue; Zelensky says Ukraine tested the system on EU territory and found "these problems do not exist". Trump denies deliberately slowing the network.
- Ukrainian authorities report at least nine killed and around 60 injured in Russian strikes over 24 hours, including an ambulance driver killed in Kherson. Zelensky says overnight attacks hit 15 energy facilities: "Russia is trying to cause a blackout in Ukraine, right before winter."