Ukraine Warupdated 1h ago3 min read
Trump Suspends Russia Sanctions, Zelensky Says US Disregards Law
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Trump signs executive order suspending broad Russia sanctions for national interest. Zelensky condemns suspension and urges support for new Russia sanctions.
20 outlets told this the same way.
Outlets did split on Russian Forces Launch Massive Attack, Leaving 600,000 Without Power in Ukraine →
Sanctions Suspended, Row Escalates
Donald Trump issued an executive order suspending some Russia sanctions that were passed by the US Congress and signed into law in September, with the move arriving two days before the sanctions were due to take effect. Volodymyr Zelensky said it was unfortunate the US has decided to "completely disregard" the sanctions, and Zelensky added that the sanctions "could have helped enormously" and that the law was "supposed to impose truly effective pressure on Russia to bring this war to an end". Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev said Trump's order was "an important and truly historic moment" and that the sanctions would have inflicted "serious damage" on the US and global market.
Marco Rubio said the suspension would consist of a 60-day pause to allow the Trump administration to analyse the impact they might have on the US and global economy, while US lawmakers from both parties criticized the decision. Ukraine’s dispute with Washington also deepened after the US struck a controversial deal to import Russian diesel, and Ukraine accused the Trump administration of withdrawing key military support.
Ukraine Hits Saint Petersburg
Ukraine launched what EFE described as the largest attack of the war against Russia’s second city, Saint Petersburg, with about 150 drones ravaging the city’s oil, logistics and digital infrastructure in the early hours.
A resident in Saint Petersburg told EFE, "I could not sleep all night. The battle between drones and anti-aircraft missiles took place literally above our heads," as the attacks caused fires at two oil terminals.
EFE reported that the governor of Saint Petersburg, Alexandr Beglov, said the overnight attacks left one dead and ten injured, with five of them remaining hospitalized.
EFE said the Ruchi terminal was the city’s largest and had a storage capacity of almost 74,000 cubic meters, and EFE reported that Ruchi supplies diesel AI-92 and AI-95.
EFE also said Russian air defenses shot down a total of 1,015 Ukrainian drones over the skies of fifteen regions of the European part of the country, while the Russian Defense Ministry specified the main target was Moscow and Saint Petersburg.
Winter Stakes and Pressure
Zelenskiy criticized Trump’s suspension of sanctions on Russia, saying the decision would encourage Moscow to continue the war, and Zelenskiy wrote that the US had "completely ignore the Lindsey Graham Law". Zelenskiy added that "That the United States discards the sanctions, relaxes the pressure on the aggressor, and financially rewards Putin" served no purpose other than to encourage continued attacks. DW reported that Trump reversed sanctions after reaching an agreement with Putin for Russia to supply diesel to the US and world markets in exchange for relief from US sanctions, with the reversal occurring weeks before the midterm elections on November 3.
ABC reported that a soldier in Kharkiv said the United States "puts sticks in our wheels" all the time, and the soldier speculated, "Maybe he shares values with Putin". DW said Russia celebrated the suspension through Kirill Dmitriev, who called it "an important and truly historic moment," while the dispute over sanctions and energy deals continued to shape the pressure on both sides.