Trump waives Russia-related sanctions before they kick in, prompting backlash from Ukraine and US lawmakers

CNN

By James Legge, Helen Regan, CNN

(CNN) — US President Donald Trump has waived a further slate of sanctions related to Russian fossil fuel sales, sparking a bipartisan backlash days before they were to take effect under a bill he signed into law last month.

The waiver announced in an executive order Friday comes as Trump increasingly feuds with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and cracks appear in Washington’s support for Kyiv in its yearslong war against its invading neighbor, deepening alarm among European allies.

Even staunch Trump allies such as Sen. Darline Graham — whose late brother the sanctions measure is named after — expressed their disagreement with the president.

The White House has heaped pressure on Ukraine to halt strikes on Russian refineries as it seeks to ease oil prices ahead of midterm elections at home. Kyiv briefly acceded to the request, but has since resumed attacks — and Russia has continued to pound Ukraine’s energy infrastructure throughout the week.

Zelensky condemned Trump’s move, which came as Russia carried out what he said was one of its biggest attacks on Ukrainian energy.

“At a time when the Russians have carried out such a massive attack on our energy sector, a decision was unfortunately made in America to completely disregard the Lindsey Graham Act, which was supposed to impose truly effective pressure on Russia to bring this war to an end,” he said.

“This Act could have helped enormously — and still can! But it needs to actually work, and every voice in support of it matters.”

Despite the tensions between Zelensky and Trump, the Ukrainian president said negotiators from the two countries talked on Friday and could meet next week. In a WhatsApp media chat with reporters on Saturday, he said details of a potential meeting were being worked out.

The latest reprieve by Trump for Moscow’s depleted coffers quickly triggered criticism from both sides of the aisle in Washington.

The forestalled legislation would have imposed tariffs of up to 100% on, among other things, goods brought into the US from the five largest importers of Russian crude oil or gas, the sale of which is crucial to funding the Kremlin’s war machine.

“I have submitted to the Congress a certification that the issuance of such a waiver at this time is in the national interests of the United States,” Trump said in the order released by the White House on Friday.

The order did not specify why the decision served the national interest, and said the waiver will remain in effect until the Trump administration determines that “further action is appropriate.”

The measures were included in the Graham Act, legislation named after Sen. Lindsey Graham, a noted Russia hawk who died in July.

Kirill Dmitriev, head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, hailed the waiver in a post on X as “an important and truly historic moment,” adding that “economic cooperation between Russia and the United States serves the interest of both nations.”

A fierce backlash

But several US lawmakers, including a growing number of Republicans, quickly came out against the waiver.

Sen. Darline Graham, who was appointed to her brother’s seat following his death, said Saturday she disagreed with the president’s decision.

“The president and I share the same goal, which is to end the war, get gas and diesel prices down. And the sanctions bill is one of the tools he can use to do that,” Graham said. “I would choose to keep the pressure on Russia to end the war and get the gas prices down because I don’t trust Putin and I don’t trust Russia.”

Republican Rep. Don Bacon said Trump “is prolonging the war, not ending it.”

GOP Rep. French Hill said he requested a classified briefing on the rationale behind Trump’s decision. “We should be increasing economic pressure on Russia, not easing up,” he posted on X.

Republican Rep. Michael McCaul urged the president “to reverse course, use these sanctions, and return to the time-tested principle that lasting peace is secured through strength — not accommodation.”

Outgoing Republican Sen. Thom Tillis on Saturday called the move “beyond irresponsible” and criticized Trump for “capitulating to a Russian dictator who illegally invaded Ukraine and butchers innocent civilians every single day.”

Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren called it an “abject and predictable failure in leadership,” citing “strong bipartisan support” for Ukraine.

And Sen. Richard Blumenthal, who helped draft the bill, said on X: “These waivers have nothing to do with our national security, and everything to do with sucking up to Vladimir Putin.”

A bitter feud

The turnaround caps a turbulent week for US-Ukraine relations that has fueled concerns in Washington and Europe that Trump is taking a series of steps to actively help Putin.

Relentless attacks continue, with overnight Russian strikes targeting energy facilities across the country. The whole city of Vinnitsya was left without power, Ukraine’s energy ministry said.

Russia’s defense ministry, meanwhile, said that it intercepted 610 Ukrainian drones.

Trump blindsided European leaders last week when he struck a deal allowing Russian diesel exports — a move Zelensky said had left him feeling betrayed. The deal also drew bipartisan blowback at home.

The US president has blamed the rise in fuel prices on the Ukraine-Russia war, eager to deflect attention from his war in Iran, which remains deeply unpopular with voters.

Ties between Ukraine and its most important backer the United States have also been strained by the apparent withdrawal of US intelligence sharing, and restrictions to the Starlink satellite internet service.

Earlier this week, Zelensky said his government had received “no early warning from our partners” before a deadly ballistic missile attack hit a major power plant in Kyiv and damaged a residential building. Trump, however, said the US had not stopped sharing intelligence with Ukraine.

Ukrainian authorities have said they were also caught off guard by restrictions on the military-grade version of Elon Musk’s Starlink, which disrupted operations of Ukraine’s drone missions and early-warning systems, and reduced the military’s capabilities for front-line logistics, communications and reconnaissance.

Ukraine’s top diplomat in Washington, Denys Sienik, told CNN on Saturday that “based on the data currently available to us, we cannot confirm that these capabilities have been fully restored.”

Trump also lashed out at the Ukrainian leader in an interview with Newsmax on Thursday, saying, “I find Zelensky to be more difficult to deal with than Putin.”

Rising tensions come as CNN reported that Kyiv has run out of missiles for the US-made Patriot air defense system, even as Russia continues to launch devastating air and drone strikes against Ukrainian energy plants.

The interceptors are among the few defensive weapons capable of knocking down a ballistic missile, and Zelensky has been vocal about his constant struggle to obtain more stocks.

Meanwhile, European leaders are rallying around Zelensky. In a veiled swipe at Trump on Friday, the Ukrainian president praised “real leaders” in the continent at a summit in Belgium.

European Union leaders said it was preparing a new package of sanctions against Russia — the 22nd package since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In contrast with the Trump administration, the union was keen to stress that sanctions against Moscow would be strengthened unless Putin stops the war.

This story has been updated with additional developments.

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CNN’s Jennifer Hansler contributed to this report.