World · Washington, D.C.
Trump suspends several Russia sanctions days before new law takes effect
US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order suspending a number of sanctions on Russia that Congress passed and he signed into law in September, BBC News reported. The order was issued Friday night, two days before the measures were set to take effect, and stated that the suspension served the US national interest.
According to the BBC, the law was designed to pressure Russia's economy. It gave the president authority to impose tariffs of up to 100% on goods from the five largest buyers of Russian oil and gas, chiefly China and India. It also targeted senior Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin, along with Russian financial institutions and the so-called shadow fleet of ships used to evade existing embargoes. The BBC reported that many of these provisions have now been waived.
Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev welcomed the decision, describing it on X as a historic moment and arguing the sanctions would have harmed the US and global markets most, the BBC said. Democratic lawmakers objected. Virginia Congressman Don Beyer wrote on X that "Trump's latest surrender to Putin again betrays our Ukrainian partners," according to the BBC.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday the sanctions could have helped greatly in pushing Russia to end the war, the BBC reported. He cited 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 told reporters he expects further sanctions to be lifted, and said Ukrainian and US negotiators spoke Friday and could meet next week.
The move comes amid a widening rift between Washington and Kyiv. The BBC reported that tensions grew after the US agreed to import Russian diesel in an effort to lower fuel prices that have risen during the Iran war. PBS NewsHour, citing the Associated Press, reported that Trump told Newsmax that Zelensky was not a good partner to deal with, while Zelensky said he felt betrayed and was applauded by EU leaders at a summit in Brussels on Friday.
Zelensky also complained of sudden speed restrictions on SpaceX satellite service used by Ukraine's military. The AP said limits on Starshield, the military-grade version of Starlink, slowed interceptor drones to 70 kph. Trump has denied deliberately slowing Ukraine's network or halting intelligence sharing, the BBC reported.
Fighting has continued. The AP reported Russian strikes on nine regions Friday left hundreds of thousands of households without power and wounded at least 15 people. Ukrainian authorities told the BBC that at least nine people were killed and about 60 injured over a 24-hour period, including an ambulance driver killed in Kherson. A UN monitoring report cited by the AP said 328 civilians were killed in September, with combined casualties 85% higher than a year earlier.
Compiled by True News from reporting by BBC News and PBS NewsHour. Each outlet's original story is linked below.
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