Trump suspends Russia sanctions – and attacks Zelensky head-on

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US President Donald Trump suspended new sanctions and tariffs against Russia from the Graham Act passed in September by executive order on Friday – and followed up on Sunday (October 18) on his platform Truth Social. He did not want to "drive Russia from the negotiating table" during ongoing negotiations, he wrote. According to Trump, the suspended measures could still be put into effect at a later date. A few hours later, he attacked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky head-on, accusing him of lacking willingness for peace.

What the executive order specifically triggers

According to the White House, Trump made use of a clause in the Graham Act that allows a waiver if this is in the national interest of the United States. The law, named after the late Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, had been passed by broad majorities in Congress. It provides for sanctions against Russian government officials, banks, and the so-called shadow fleet, and enables high tariffs against major buyers of Russian energy. The measures were to take effect two days after Trump's order – they are therefore on ice for now, not lifted. Previously imposed Russia sanctions remain expressly unaffected. The suspension applies until Trump or authorized government representatives make a new decision.

Trump's accusation against Zelensky

In his Truth Social post, Trump justified the pause with ongoing negotiations and simultaneously turned against Kyiv. The Ukrainian president was letting attacks on Russian refineries happen and thereby accepting rising diesel prices, Trump claimed. Zelensky did not want to end the war and had "probably never" wanted to. Trump provided no evidence for this accusation. The line from Washington thus clearly shifts: not Moscow, but Kyiv is the obstacle – according to the reading from the White House.

Zelensky's response in the USA

Zelensky responded on Sunday on the NBC program "Meet the Press." The suspension of sanctions harms Ukraine and strengthens Putin's war effort. It would be a "historic mistake" to side with Moscow in this conflict, he said. Putin was the aggressor and could therefore not be equated with the president of the invaded country. The same day, according to the Ukrainian Presidential Office, Zelensky spoke with US Special Envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner about the next diplomatic steps. The teams are in nearly constant contact – no concrete results or date for further talks were named. The Ukrainian government reiterated its readiness for constructive negotiations.

Headwind from Congress

As the US news agency Associated Press reported, Trump's suspension met with criticism across party lines in Congress. Opponents of the order fear that Moscow thereby retains revenues for the war without having to make concrete concessions beforehand. For Kyiv, this concretely means: the economic pressure on Moscow that Ukraine had counted on will not grow further from Washington for now. The US government left open how permanent the pause is and under what conditions the sanctions could be reactivated. Russia, meanwhile, continues its war of aggression against Ukraine, begun in February 2022.