Trump suspends Russia sanctions two days before they take effect, deepening rift with Kyiv

President Trump blocked sanctions on Russia on Friday night, two days before they were due to take effect, as a deepening row with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky cast the move in sharply different lights.

The sanctions were passed by Congress and signed into law in September, and Congress has reacted to the executive order. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the suspension as a 60-day pause during which potential impact on US and global economies would be analysed.

Trump cited peace negotiations. He said the suspension is an effort to keep Moscow at the negotiating table. Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev called the order ‘an important and truly historic moment.’ The sanctions, he said, would have inflicted ‘serious damage’ on the US and global market.

Zelensky warns of ‘historic mistake’

Zelensky told NBC News on Sunday that siding with Putin would be a ‘historic mistake.’ He has repeatedly said that Putin does not want peace. After the latest move from the US, Zelensky said he believed the Trump administration would lift more sanctions against Russia. Trump said on Truth Social that Zelensky ‘doesn’t want to end this war, and probably never did’ and that ‘he could have made a better deal two years ago than he can now.’

Diesel deal and fraying ties

Relations between Washington and Kyiv frayed after the US struck a deal to import Russian diesel last week. Ukraine and European allies criticised the deal as helping lower US energy prices, which have skyrocketed during the Iran war. Zelensky said the diesel deal was tantamount to the US investing in Russia’s war effort. At an EU summit, Zelensky said it was nice to be among ‘real leaders’ after Trump said Zelensky was ‘more difficult to deal with’ than Putin. Trump said on Truth Social, ‘I am in the process of negotiating Peace in the war between Russia and Ukraine.’ In a separate post, he said he would not ‘do anything that will drive, foolishly, Russia away from the bargaining table.’ Despite international sanctions, Russia still exports oil. Much of it goes to China and India, often at attractive discounts. According to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, China has taken about half of Russia’s crude exports, with India accounting for about 37%.

Starlink and intelligence disputes

Disruption to Starlink, a US-provided satellite system used by Ukraine, hampered Kyiv’s ability to protect itself from Russian attacks. Zelensky said US officials linked speed restrictions to technical issues, but Ukraine tested Starlink on EU territory and found it operating at higher speeds. Trump denied both charges. He denied deliberately slowing down the Starlink network and denied stopping sharing defence intelligence with Ukraine.

Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The fighting continues.