President Donald Trump has waived several major sanctions against Russia just two days before they were due to take effect, escalating tensions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and drawing sharp criticism from U.S. lawmakers, who accuse the administration of undermining efforts to pressure Moscow over its war in Ukraine.
Trump issued an executive order on Friday night, declaring that suspending the measures was in the U.S. “national interest”. The sanctions had been passed by Congress and signed into law by Trump in September.
The decision prompted an angry response from Kyiv, with Zelensky saying it was unfortunate that Washington had chosen to “completely disregard” the restrictions, which he argued could have helped force Russia to end the war.
The legislation was designed to intensify economic pressure on Moscow. It gave the president broad authority to impose tariffs of up to 100 per cent on imports from the five largest purchasers of Russian oil and gas, including China and India. It also provided for sanctions against senior Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin, as well as Russian financial institutions and Moscow’s so-called shadow fleet of vessels used to evade existing restrictions.
Many of these provisions have now been waived by Trump
Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev welcomed the decision, describing it as an “important and truly historic moment”. In a post on X, he argued that the sanctions would have caused serious damage to the United States and global markets, adding that economic cooperation could benefit both countries.
The move drew condemnation from Democratic lawmakers. Don Beyer, a Democratic congressman from Virginia, accused Trump of yielding to Moscow at Ukraine’s expense.
“Trump’s latest surrender to Putin again betrays our Ukrainian partners and defies clear congressional intent,” Beyer wrote on X, referring to the legislation intended to punish Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.
🚨 JUST IN OVERNIGHT: President Trump puts the new Russia sanctions package ON HOLD, certifying to Congress that the waiver is “in the national interests of the United States”
This comes as Trump wants Zelensky to stop BSing
The order waives the Graham Act’s 500% tariff on Russian goods and its 100% tariffs on countries buying Russian oil and gas
Trump signed the law himself just last month, and he paused it two days before it was set to kick in 👀
The waiver lasts until Trump or Rubio decides “further action is appropriate.”
HE WANTS PEACE 🇺🇸
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) October 17, 2026
The decision is likely to deepen frustration in Kyiv, where Zelensky has repeatedly called for tougher sanctions to restrict the revenues available to finance Russia’s military campaign.
In a statement on Saturday, the Ukrainian president said the measures “could have helped enormously”, arguing that the law was intended to put meaningful pressure on Moscow and help bring the conflict to an end.
He also pointed to Russian attacks on 15 Ukrainian energy facilities overnight, which caused power cuts in several regions.
“Russia is trying to cause a blackout in Ukraine — right before winter,” Zelensky said, urging Americans to pay attention to developments on the ground.
Energy pressures fuel Washington-Kyiv tensions
The latest dispute follows a series of disagreements between Washington and Kyiv over energy policy, military assistance and the conduct of the war.
Relations deteriorated after the Trump administration temporarily suspended some sanctions to facilitate Russian diesel imports, seeking to ease soaring US energy prices amid the conflict involving Iran. The move drew criticism from Zelensky and European allies, who argued that allowing Russian energy exports could help finance Moscow’s war effort.
Zelensky suggested that the arrangement amounted to the United States indirectly supporting Russia’s military campaign.
Yesterday, the Russians carried out one of their largest attacks on Ukraine’s energy sector – more than 15 critical power generation and transmission facilities were targeted across different regions of Ukraine. Restoration work is ongoing, with all necessary services and all available resources of Ukrainian energy companies involved. I thank everyone working practically nonstop to restore power.
The most difficult situation was in Lutsk, Rivne, Zhytomyr, Vinnytsia, Shepetivka, Slavuta, and Netishyn. Energy facilities in the Kharkiv, Kyiv, Dnipro, and other regions were also hit. The Russians have scaled up their anti-energy operation and are trying to stretch our reserves and repair capabilities as thin as possible. Between 7 p.m. yesterday and 7 a.m. today alone, more than 320 jet-powered and gasoline-powered “shaheds,” along with loitering munitions, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles, were used against our energy sector, our cities, and our communities. And although our warriors are shooting down a significant number of them, the sheer scale and unrelenting pace of Russia’s strikes, specifically against our energy sector, are unfortunately having severe consequences.
It is important that our European partners have already prepared new support packages for Ukraine. I am grateful to them for this. And it is important that everyone in America also sees what is really happening. At a time when the Russians have carried out such a massive attack on our energy sector, 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. This Act could have helped enormously – and still can! But it needs to actually work, and every voice in support of it matters.
Russia is trying to cause a blackout in Ukraine – right before winter. Russia is trying to leave millions of our people without electricity and heating. Pressure is needed to stop this. A U.S. sanctions blackout, easing pressure on the aggressor, financial rewards for Putin – all of this only encourages him to keep attacking. We must not give up ground. We must keep trying to end the war. To end it, not give Putin every reason to continue it indefinitely. I thank everyone who is truly fighting for peace and helping Ukraine!
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) October 17, 2026
Trump subsequently claimed that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to an “energy ceasefire” intended to facilitate Russian diesel exports. Both countries, however, continued to strike energy infrastructure.
Kyiv has said its attacks on Russian oil facilities are intended to reduce revenues supporting Moscow’s war machine. Russia maintains that its strikes target facilities connected to Ukraine’s military operations.
Zelensky initially said Ukraine would halt its attacks if Russia did the same. Following several days of further Russian strikes, Kyiv resumed attacks on Russian oil refineries.
Trump condemned the Ukrainian strikes as a “disgrace”, prompting Zelensky to respond that he was defending Ukraine’s national interests.
The dispute over sanctions comes as the Trump administration faces domestic political pressure over rising fuel costs and inflation ahead of the US midterm elections. The conflict involving Iran has contributed to rising energy prices, increasing the economic and political pressures facing the White House.
Starlink disruption raises further concerns
Questions about Washington’s commitment to Ukraine have also intensified following disruptions to Starlink, the satellite communications system used by Ukrainian forces on the battlefield.
Last week, restrictions affecting drone speeds while connected to the internet reportedly disrupted some Ukrainian military missions and complicated efforts to defend against Russian attacks.
@MeidasTouch Ukrainian military’s access to Starlink satellite internet suddenly restricted
Launch of Russian ballistic missiles on Ukraine, with no US warning, coincides with outage of Starlink managed by Musk’s SpaceX
https://t.co/J6fP6WWQ8Q— The Age of Reason Thomas Paine 🇺🇦 🌻 (@TNVoteNoOn1) October 17, 2026
Ukrainian officials said Russian forces launched several deadly strikes during the disruption, with some residents and authorities reporting that the attacks came without prior warning.
Zelensky said on Friday that Starlink speeds had not yet been fully restored. Trump, however, has denied halting intelligence-sharing with Ukraine or deliberately slowing the country’s access to the satellite network.
The latest developments have added to concerns in Kyiv and among its European partners that Washington’s approach could weaken Ukraine’s ability to resist Russia.
Civilian casualties mount as fighting continues
The diplomatic tensions unfolded amid continued Russian attacks across Ukraine.
Ukrainian authorities reported that at least nine people had been killed and around 60 injured in Russian strikes across the country in the previous 24 hours.
In the southern city of Kherson, an ambulance driver was killed and 20 other people were injured in Russian attacks on Saturday morning, according to Ukrainian officials.
Russia’s Defence Ministry said its forces had targeted facilities linked to Ukraine’s defence industry, including steelworks, an electrical substation and a cargo vessel in the Black Sea.
Muhammad Luqman is Associate Editor at Views News Now. He writes on wide-ranging issues including economy, South Asia, the Middle East, agriculture, economy and innovation. Luqman has worked some of the leading news organizations and won acclaim for his original and research-based works.
