Trump Waives New Russia Sanctions as Zelenskyy Warns of Putin Emboldenment

Trump Waives Congressional Sanctions on Russia

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday putting on hold a sweeping new sanctions package targeting the Russian economy that Congress had passed with overwhelming bipartisan support and that Trump himself had signed into law last month. (BBC News; The Guardian)

The legislation required the administration to impose sanctions and tariffs on Russian energy by October 18 or submit an unclassified report to Congress explaining a waiver; Trump said the White House has sent that report to Capitol Hill and declared the pause in the national interest. (Al Jazeera; NBC News; The Guardian)

Diesel Deal Precedes Sanctions Pause

The waiver arrives days after Trump announced a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to release hundreds of thousands of tons of Russian diesel fuel onto the global market as fuel prices soar. (NBC News)

The Guardian reported that Trump said last week that Russia would immediately supply more than 300,000 tonnes of diesel, followed by an additional 500,000 tonnes in November and 1 million tonnes "immediately thereafter." Al Jazeera reported that the US Treasury waived sanctions on Russian diesel sales until April 2027.

The White House has not characterized the sanctions pause and the diesel arrangement as an explicit exchange, and the executive order cites national interest rather than the fuel agreement as its stated basis. (PBS News)

Zelenskyy Condemns Move as Reward for Putin

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday that lifting sanctions was "wrong" and "only helps the Russians," warning that the decision would encourage Vladimir Putin to intensify the war in Ukraine and calling for support in the United States to resurrect the bill. (NBC News; The Guardian)

PBS News reported that Zelenskyy urged supporters Saturday to speak out in favor of new U.S. sanctions against Russia, hours after President Donald Trump signed an executive order putting the sweeping restrictions on hold.

The Guardian also quoted Zelenskyy describing restrictions on Ukraine's Starlink network as a "deliberate operation ... to prevent us from defending ourselves." France 24 reported that Ukraine worries Trump is taking Moscow's side in Europe's worst conflict since World War II.

PBS News reported that the White House decision has heightened fears that Ukraine could be left exposed to Moscow's escalating attacks as winter approaches.

Bipartisan Congressional Backlash

The decision has triggered bipartisan backlash on Capitol Hill. Al Jazeera reported that Republicans and Democrats condemn Trump's decision to suspend sanctions, saying it undermines support for Ukraine.

Representative Don Beyer, a Virginia Democrat, said Trump's move betrayed Ukraine and disregarded Congress's intent to punish Russia for its invasion. Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts accused Trump of "thumbing his nose" at Congress and enabling Putin to continue his war against Ukraine, urging colleagues to take action to reverse the decision. (Al Jazeera)

NBC News reported that the President is facing new criticism, including from some in his party, for ordering sanctions relief for Russia, even as it continues to strike Ukraine. The Guardian reported that the legislation was passed in a bipartisan display of American support for Ukraine in the war with Russia. (PBS News)

PBS News reported that the next steps are highly uncertain with the House and Senate on recess until after Election Day.

Russian Reaction and Global Oil Trade Context

Russia welcomed the waiver. Al Jazeera reported that Russia on Saturday hailed US President Donald Trump's move to waive new sanctions on it as "historic." BBC News reported that Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev called the waiver "an important and truly historic moment." (France 24)

The sanctions legislation also directs Trump to impose up to 100% tariffs on the top five importers of Russian oil or natural gas, with an exception for countries that import less than 15% of Russia's natural gas exports and have taken significant steps to reduce those imports. (The Guardian)

Al Jazeera reported that Saudi Arabia imported the most Russian oil products in September at 534 million euros ($600 million), followed by Turkey with 321 million euros ($361 million), China with 304 million euros ($342 million) and India with 161 million euros ($181 million).

Al Jazeera also reported that China and India are the largest buyers of Russian crude oil, purchasing 6 billion euros ($6.74 billion) and 3.6 billion euros ($4.04 billion) worth respectively in September, according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air.

Battlefield Developments and Procedural Uncertainty

The sanctions pause coincides with continued Russian strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure. PBS News reported that overnight Russian attacks killed at least four people, including an ambulance driver, and wounded dozens, officials said.

The Guardian reported that power plant attacks reflect a Russian blueprint to make Ukrainian cities unlivable. Meanwhile, Ukrainian drones killed a woman in a Russian border region and disrupted flights at Moscow's airports, according to Russian authorities. (PBS News)

Trump was in Kentucky on Saturday rallying for midterm candidates just weeks before Election Day, and has denied halting intelligence-sharing and deliberately slowing down Ukraine's Starlink network. With Congress in recess until after the election, the legislative path to reverse the waiver remains unclear. (BBC News; NBC News)