Key takeaways:
- Trump suspended the Russia sanctions two days before they were due to take effect, citing the U.S. national interest without further explanation.
- Zelenskyy said the waiver would encourage Russian attacks, while Republican and Democratic lawmakers criticized the decision.
- Ukraine reported strikes on more than 15 energy sites; officials reported four deaths in Ukraine and one in Russia during overnight attacks.
President Donald Trump has suspended a new package of sanctions against Russia, drawing criticism from Republicans, Democrats and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as Russian strikes hit Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
Trump signed the executive order Friday, two days before the restrictions were due to take effect under legislation he signed last month. He told Congress the pause was in the U.S. national interest but gave no further explanation. The restrictions will remain suspended until Trump or senior officials determine that further action is appropriate, Al Jazeera reported.
The legislation, named for the late Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, passed the Senate 86-11, according to Al Jazeera. It targeted Russian officials, banks and a fleet of tankers that keeps Russian energy moving, NPR reported. Al Jazeera said it also would have allowed tariffs of up to 100% on goods from countries that continued buying Russian oil and gas or helped Moscow evade sanctions.
Zelenskyy urged supporters Saturday to defend the measures. “A decision was unfortunately made in America to completely disregard the Lindsey Graham Act, which was supposed to impose truly effective pressure on Russia to bring this war to an end,” he wrote on social media. He later thanked lawmakers in both parties who backed the legislation and said blocking it would encourage further killing.
“Financial rewards for Putin – all of this only encourages him to keep attacking,” Zelenskyy wrote in a separate post quoted by Al Jazeera. He said he hoped Trump would do everything possible to make Russian President Vladimir Putin stop the attacks and end the war.
Republican Sen. Thom Tillis called the waiver “beyond irresponsible” and asked why the administration was not enforcing a law the Senate passed 86-11. Republican Sen. John Cornyn said Graham “would be appalled.” Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal, who helped draft the bill, accused Trump of turning his back on Congress and U.S. allies. Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren urged colleagues to act to reverse the decision, Al Jazeera reported.
The pause follows Trump’s announcement of a deal to buy Russian diesel to lower fuel prices. Trump said Russia would immediately supply more than 300,000 tons, with another 500,000 tons in November and 1 million tons afterward, NPR reported. Politicians in both parties have questioned whether the deal would lower prices while providing Moscow with revenue for its war, according to Al Jazeera.
The sanctions dispute came as Zelenskyy said Russia had struck more than 15 Ukrainian energy sites. Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched four cruise missiles and 332 attack drones overnight; it said all four missiles and 289 drones were suppressed or destroyed.
Ukrainian officials said Russian strikes killed three people in Sloviansk and an ambulance driver in the Kherson region. At least 33 people were wounded in the Kherson strike, a local official said. In Russia, officials said a Ukrainian drone attack killed a woman in the Belgorod border region. Russia’s Defense Ministry said it shot down 610 Ukrainian drones overnight, while local media reported more than 350 flights canceled or delayed at Moscow airports.
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