USAupdated 1h ago3 min read
Zelenskyy Urges Support For U.S. Sanctions After Trump Pauses Russia Restrictions
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Zelenskyy urged supporters to back new US sanctions on Russia after Trump's pause. Trump signed an executive order pausing a sweeping sanctions package against Russia.
Sanctions paused, Zelenskyy reacts
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged supporters to speak out in defense of new U.S. sanctions against Russia after President Donald Trump signed an executive order pausing a sweeping package of restrictions targeting the Russian economy. Zelenskyy described Trump’s move to put sanctions on hold as unfortunate, writing, “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,” and he said blocking it would encourage Russia to continue killing. Zelenskyy said blocking the ability to retaliate against Russian attacks would not bring peace, and he added, “Nevertheless, we very much hope — and I personally hope — that the president of the United States of America will do everything possible to make (Russian President Vladimir) Putin stop the killing, stop the attacks on our energy infrastructure, and end this war,”.
The White House decision raised fears that Ukraine could be left exposed to Moscow’s escalating assaults with winter approaching, and the ABC News report said Russian attacks overnight killed at least four people, including an ambulance driver, and wounded dozens. Russian attacks also disrupted flights at Moscow's airports, while Ukrainian drones killed a woman in a Russian border region, according to Russian authorities.
Criticism and competing claims
Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev welcomed Trump’s decision, describing the suspension as “an important and truly historic moment,” and he argued the law would cause “severe damage primarily to the American economy and global markets.” Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal criticized the pause, saying the president turning his back on “the majority of Americans, their representatives in both houses of Congress, and our European allies.” BBC reported that Zelensky accused Trump of “rewarding Putin,” warning that Russia was seeking to deprive millions of Ukrainians of electricity and heating before winter arrives.
Zelensky also wrote on social media that “Blocking American sanctions, easing pressure on the aggressor, and awarding Putin financial rewards – all of this only encourages him to continue the attacks.” The BBC account said Trump issued an executive order on Friday evening to suspend the application of a wide range of sanctions, restrictions, and tariffs provided for by a law approved by Congress and signed by the U.S. president last September.
What comes next for policy
The Anadolu Ajansı report said Trump signed a decree on Saturday to suspend new sanctions targeting Russia, citing national interests, and it said the step came two days before a law goes into effect imposing sanctions on the Russian government and state-owned companies.
Anadolu Ajansı also said the law would impose tariffs on countries that import energy from Russia, and it described a prior September 18 bill that provides for sanctions on Russia’s government and state-owned companies.
Araby21 reported that the law approved by Congress included tariffs that could reach up to 100 percent on goods of countries that import Russian oil and gas or help Moscow evade sanctions, and it said the executive order kept the measure in effect until Trump or senior administration officials decided on further actions.
El Confidencial said Trump halted the implementation of the most recent package of sanctions against Russia “until further notice,” and it quoted an EU spokesperson Thomas Reigner saying, “Our sanctions are putting pressure on the Russian economy. But we must do more.”
The ABC News report said Zelensky told supporters that Ukraine’s lead negotiator Rustem Umerov met with U.S. presidential envoy Jared Kushner on Friday, and Zelensky said the U.S. was working to arrange a trilateral meeting with both him and Putin.