Trump waives new Russia sanctions 2 days before they took effect
Why it matters: The move softens pressure tied to the Ukraine war and adds to backlash over a separate US plan to import Russian diesel.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order late Friday pausing new sanctions and tariffs on Russia just two days before they were due to start, a move his administration cast as leverage for peace talks over Ukraine. Energy Secretary Chris Wright argued the waiver was meant to create an incentive to end the war, not provide Moscow with an economic boost. The decision drew criticism from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who called it wrong and said it helps Russia, and from Darline Graham, who said she would keep pressure on Moscow. The waiver comes a week after Trump backed a deal to eventually import millions of tons of Russian diesel, despite a 2022 US law banning Russian energy imports.