What Trump’s Waiver of New Russia Sanctions Means for Ukraine

President Donald Trump has set aside much of a new sanctions law aimed at Russia, a step that is drawing bipartisan criticism and widening his split with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Time · BBC and BBC report that an executive order signed Friday froze the measures days before they were to start, citing the national interest. The law had authorized tariffs of up to 100% on top buyers of Russian oil and gas and penalties on Russian leaders and banks. BBC adds that it also covered the so-called shadow fleet of vessels, and that Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the freeze as 60 days for studying economic fallout. Time · BBC notes that existing sanctions stay in force, and that it came a week after a diesel arrangement with Moscow, which Treasury backed with a temporary license through April 7, 2027. Columbia University's Tatiana Mitrova argues Russia gains more from avoiding fresh penalties than from the diesel itself. Zelensky said the law could have helped enormously, while Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev welcomed the order. BBC reports that Democrat Don Beyer and Republicans Ted Cruz, John Cornyn, Thom Tillis and Don Bacon objected.

Summarized by PolitiKool from Time · BBC and BBC’s reporting. Read the full story at Time · BBC → Also at BBC →