President Donald Trump turned to Truth Social to defend his choice to end sanctions on Russia. He tied the step to ongoing talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine and said he did not want to push Moscow away from those discussions. In the post, he wrote that “Great progress is being made, and that includes current hostage negotiations!”
The announcement arrived a week after Trump had briefly removed sanctions on Russian diesel fuel. Officials described that earlier step as an effort to ease U.S. fuel costs ahead of the midterm elections. Trump then used the longer Sunday message to lay out his broader reasoning.
He wrote that his decision on Russia was a very simple one. He said he is in the process of negotiating peace in the war between Russia and Ukraine and does not want to do anything that will drive, foolishly, Russia away from the bargaining table. He added that he can sign the relevant document later or at any time he chooses.
GOP senators object to the end of sanctions on Russia
Several Republican senators have criticized the decision. John Cornyn of Texas wrote on X that Lindsey Graham would be appalled. According to Mediaite, Darline Graham of South Carolina, whose late brother the sanctions bill was named for, offered a more measured reply while Trump is campaigning for her seat.
At a campaign event, Graham said she would personally choose to put the pressure on Russia to end the war and get gas prices down. She explained that she does not trust Putin and does not trust Russia. Thom Tillis of North Carolina has also opposed the move. Trump, meanwhile, has insisted Putin has Ukraine’s best interests in mind.
In the Truth Social post, Trump wrote that Russia is doing very little, if anything, to help the Islamic Republic of Iran compared to what they could be doing. He said he wants to keep it that way and will, unless people get in the way. He then addressed Zelenskyy’s recent actions.
Trump wrote that Zelenskyy is using diesel refineries in Russia as a target, knowing that these attacks are seriously hurting the world diesel markets, including those in the United States. He said farmers, ranchers, and businesses of all kinds are suffering greatly from this. He added that Russia is nevertheless sending, at a low price, millions of barrels of diesel to the world.
Trump wrote that Zelenskyy does not care and, frankly, with all of the money that Europe is famously giving him and that Joe Biden gave him in the past, he does not want to end this war and probably never did. He said Zelenskyy could have made a better deal two years ago than he can now. He described Ukraine as having lost a large portion of its land, with its oceans and seas gone and its male population low, wounded, and/or dead.
Trump closed by writing that he wants this war to end. He thanked readers for their attention to the matter and signed the post as President Donald J. Trump. The message has drawn the noted responses from members of his own party.
Zelenskyy has recently expressed his frustration with the Trump administration as well, and said that he feels betrayed over Trump’s Russia deal.
Published: Oct 19, 2026 08:00 am