Trump Waives Russia Sanctions; Allies and Rivals Push Back

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Friday waiving sweeping Russia sanctions that Congress passed with bipartisan support and that he signed into law the month before. By Sunday, the fallout had reached the Sunday talk shows, a former vice president’s social media feed and the skies over St. Petersburg.

The Waiver and Its Rationale

The order waives specific provisions of the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, a package designed to pressure Moscow to end its yearslong war against Ukraine. The sanctions aimed to squeeze Russian revenue by penalizing global buyers of Russian oil and gas. Trump said in the order that the waiver “is in the national interests of the United States.”

The move followed a deal with Vladimir Putin to release hundreds of thousands of tons of Russian diesel onto the global market as fuel prices climbed. The Hill reported that Trump announced earlier this month he intended to lift sanctions, allowing 300,000 tons of Russian oil to supply the U.S. and global economies.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright defended the arrangement Sunday on ABC News’ “This Week.” “This is a carrot to try to end a war,” he said. “It’s not an economic lifeline for Russia.”

Criticism From Both Sides of the Aisle

The pushback hasn’t come only from the expected quarters. Former Vice President Pence wrote on X that the decision “dishonors the legacy of the late Senator Lindsey Graham and is decidedly not in the national interests of the United States and should be reversed.” He added: “Putin is a war criminal and only understands strength. Waiving Graham Act sanctions on Russia signals weakness at a moment that demands American strength.” Pence urged Trump to restore the sanctions and scrap the diesel agreement, invoking the “years of the first Trump Administration.”

On Thursday, five House GOP lawmakers joined Democrats in calling on Trump to cancel the deal. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) called it a “filthy deal” that “will only aid and abet the same Putin who is helping the Iranians to target and try to kill American troops in the Middle East.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the waiver “gifts to Putin” in an interview with NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” saying it would strengthen the Russian leader’s will to occupy Ukraine. Still, he stopped short of writing off Washington. “We want to trust him,” Zelenskyy told Kristen Welker. “I hope that he will change his decisions.” If the United States officially took Russia’s side, he warned, “we will not prevail, and we will not be able to stand.”

Zelenskyy also challenged the economic logic. The diesel deal, he said, wouldn’t have “a real influence” on U.S. oil prices, because rising prices stem from the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz, not Ukraine. He predicted Russia would “‘repay’ the diesel with further terror and perfidy.”

Security Strains Between Washington and Kyiv

Zelenskyy said U.S. intelligence sharing was briefly “blocked,” leaving Ukraine without information about incoming ballistic missiles, before it was “deblocked.” A restriction on Starshield, the military version of Starlink, remains in place. Ukrainian officials believe it followed a “message from American government.” European and Ukrainian officials previously told NBC they believed the interruption, which came days after the sanctions easing, was likely meant to pressure Kyiv into concessions amid stalled peace talks.

Public exchanges between the two leaders have turned sharp. Trump told Newsmax that Zelenskyy was “not a good guy for us to deal with” and “more difficult to deal with than Putin.” Zelenskyy replied that it was “better to have partners who are very open and clear than to have those who are killers, even with a smile on their face.”

Moscow’s Response on the Ground

Zelenskyy said Russia has broken Trump’s “energy ceasefire” 76 times and planned to strip Ukrainians of heat and electricity before winter. Overnight strikes hit energy facilities in four regions, leaving tens of thousands of families without power. “America should see that Russia is not taking any reciprocal steps in response to sanctions relief or agreements,” he wrote. Russia treats each opening “as proof that their bet on war is paying off,” he added.

Ukraine hit back hard. It launched more than 1,000 drones at Russia, one of the largest aerial attacks of the war. Fires broke out at the Petersburg Oil Terminal and the city’s Ruchi oil depot. Gov. Alexander Beglov said at least one person was killed and five wounded. Russia’s Defense Ministry said it destroyed 1,015 drones over 15 regions, Crimea and the Black Sea. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Kyiv couldn’t “change the current course of events.”

In Zaporizhzhia, a woman was killed and at least two others, including a 6-year-old girl, were wounded in Russian attacks. Trump told reporters late Saturday that they didn’t know what his decision on further sanctions would be.

Why This Matters:

Congress wrote sanctions into law with bipartisan votes, and a waiver by executive order tests how far the executive can go in setting that policy aside. That tension matters for investors and energy buyers who need predictable rules, not rules that change by presidential order. The administration argues cheaper diesel serves American consumers and could help end the war. Critics, including Republicans, counter that Moscow has offered no reciprocal steps while its strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure continue. Whether the diesel deal delivers lower prices or merely props up Russian revenue remains an open question. Meanwhile, friction with Kyiv over intelligence and satellite access puts at risk a partnership that has long served American security interests.