President Donald Trump issued an executive order on Friday that paused a set of new sanctions Congress had directed at Russia. In the order, he said the move “is in the national interests of the United States.” According to NBC News, he defended the move when reporters asked him about it on Saturday, even though he faces bipartisan pushback for it.
The sanctions package, which Trump signed into law last month, carries the name of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican. It targets the largest buyers of Russian oil and gas and lets the president place tariffs on goods from those countries. China and India are among the nations that could face such measures.
Lawmakers from both parties approved the bill as a way to reduce the money Russia brings in while it keeps fighting Ukraine. The pause comes after Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin reached a deal last week that would put hundreds of thousands of tons of Russian diesel fuel on the global market. Fuel prices have been rising sharply.
Pushback from lawmakers and Ukraine follows the pause
Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke to reporters Saturday evening about the decision. He explained that the sanctions “include tariffs, sanctions on other countries.” Rubio said Trump wants 60 days “to analyze their impact on the U.S. and global economy given the pressure on global energy supplies.”
Reporters asked Trump that same evening why he waived the sanctions. He answered, “A lot of you don’t know what my decision is yet, but we’ll figure it out, and you’ll figure it out.” He then added, “It’s a very good decision, and it’s going to be a decision that’s good for the country, and I think good for the world because we’re really at a world stage.”
In recent times, Trump has blamed the Ukrainians, rather than the Russians, for extending the war. He has previously insisted that Putin has Ukraine’s best interests at heart.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who feels betrayed by the Trump administration, responded on Saturday by calling the lifting of sanctions “wrong” and saying it “only helps the Russians.” On Telegram, he wrote about an “American sanctions blackout” and described a “weakening of pressure on the aggressor, effectively serving as a financial reward for Putin – only encourages him to continue his attacks.”
In WhatsApp messages to journalists he said, “It seems to me that this won’t stop Putin.” He continued, “On the contrary, he feels joy and happiness that there is such support.”
Zelenskyy thanked lawmakers from both parties who had supported the legislation. Speaking about the late Graham, he said, “He always supported us very strongly and pushed for as much assistance to Ukraine as possible. It’s difficult without him, I’ll say frankly.” He continued, “And I am grateful to his friends who supported him.”
Trump has voiced frustration over Ukraine’s strikes on Russian oil and gas sites and has pointed to those attacks as a reason fuel costs rose. He has played down the role of the Iran war in the oil market. Diesel prices have climbed almost 70 percent since that conflict started in February. The waiver arrives less than three weeks before the midterm elections, when living costs remain a leading voter concern.
The House and Senate passed the bill by wide margins, though many Democrats voted no because it created new tariff authority for the president. The law requires an unclassified report to Congress before any waiver. Trump said in the executive order that the White House has already sent that report to Capitol Hill.
Published: Oct 18, 2026 09:45 am