US sanctions suspension prompts Zelensky to accuse Trump of rewarding Putin

Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday condemned US President Donald Trump’s decision to block sanctions on Russia, saying the move rewards Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

Trump signed an executive order waiving US sanctions aimed at reducing Russia’s oil and gas revenue. The move came despite increased Russian strikes on Ukraine and days before the measures were to take effect under a law Trump signed last month. Trump said the waiver serves US national interests.

Targeting Russia’s oil and gas sectors

The Lindsey Graham Act – named after the late US senator who sponsored the bill – targeted Russia’s energy and defense sectors, as well as Putin and the so‑called “shadow fleet” of tankers used to circumvent Western sanctions.

After Russian forces attacked 15 critical power generation facilities across Ukraine, Zelensky wrote on social media: “It is important that everyone in America also sees what is really happening.”

“A US sanctions blackout, easing pressure on the aggressor, financial rewards for Putin – all of this only encourages him to keep attacking,” he warned.

Russia hails Trump move as “historic”

The Kremlin has not yet officially reacted, but several Russian officials celebrated the decision.

“The Trump administration’s suspension of the Graham Act is an important and truly historic moment,” said Kirill Dmitriev, a Putin envoy, on social media. He added that the act would have caused serious damage first and foremost to the US economy and global markets.

Trump’s waiver follows a deal he struck with Putin to ease existing sanctions in exchange for Moscow releasing large amounts of diesel onto global markets.

US‑led talks to end the war in Ukraine have not brought a breakthrough. Both leaders have frustrated Trump with the lack of progress in halting a conflict that began in February 2022.

Zelensky visited Brussels on Friday for an EU summit, urging allies to keep financing Ukraine’s fight and insisting he was standing up for his country amid the row with Trump.

“This is no time to withdraw the support to Ukraine,” European Council president Antonio Costa said. “Now it is time to increase our support, to increase our pressure.”

Putin vows more

Ukraine has been struggling to shoot down Russian missiles and is scrambling to boost its defenses. Russia controls large swathes of eastern and southern Ukraine, and Putin has repeatedly said Moscow intends to seize the rest of eastern Ukraine by force.

“On the whole I see a positive trend in the operations of the troop groupings,” Putin told army leaders on Friday. “Undoubtedly, one of the main objectives remains the liberation of the Donetsk People’s Republic,” he added.

(With newswires)

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