Trump suspends Russia sanctions to facilitate peace talks
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President Donald Trump halted several sanctions on Russia, saying the pause aims to keep Moscow engaged in negotiations over the Ukraine conflict.
President Donald Trump announced a suspension of a number of sanctions on Russia, describing the move as a step to keep Moscow at the negotiating table over the war in Ukraine. "I am in the process of negotiating peace in the war between Russia and Ukraine," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, adding that he did not want to "do anything that will drive, foolishly, Russia away from the bargaining table."
The sanctions, which had been passed by Congress and signed into law in September, were blocked on Friday night, two days before they were set to take effect. Russian ambassador Kirill Dmitriev called the decision "an important and truly historic moment" and warned that the sanctions would have caused "serious damage" to the U.S. and global markets.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the suspension would last 60 days, during which officials would assess the potential economic impact. In the same post, Trump suggested that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky "doesn't want to end this war, and probably never did," and claimed Zelensky could have secured a better deal two years earlier.
Zelensky, who has repeatedly called for stricter sanctions to limit Russia's war financing, responded at a European Union summit that it was "nice to be among real leaders" after Trump announced a deal to purchase Russian diesel and criticized the Ukrainian leader as "more difficult to deal with" than Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Analysts note that despite sanctions, Russia continues to export oil, largely to China and India, which together account for the majority of its crude shipments.