U.S. President Donald Trump lifted additional sanctions related to Russia’s fossil fuel sales, sparking a bipartisan backlash days before the sanctions went into effect under legislation he signed last month.
The waivers, announced in an executive order Friday, come as President Trump deepens his feud with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, fracturing Washington’s support for Kiev in its years-long war with its aggressor neighbor and deepening alarm among European allies.
Even some of President Trump’s staunchest allies, such as his late brother, Sen. Darling Graham, for whom the sanctions are named, expressed their disagreement with the president.
The White House is increasing pressure on Ukraine to call off strikes at Russian refineries as it seeks to ease oil prices ahead of the country’s midterm elections. Kiev briefly complied with the request, but then resumed its attacks, and Russia continued its attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure throughout this week.
President Zelenskiy condemned President Trump’s actions as Russia carried out what he described as one of the biggest attacks on Ukraine’s energy.
“In the midst of such a massive Russian attack on our energy sector, unfortunately a decision was made in the United States to completely ignore the Lindsey-Graham Act, which would have put real and effective pressure on Russia to end this war,” he said.
“This law could have been, and still is, very helpful. But it needs to actually work, and every voice that supports it matters.”
Despite the tension between Zelenskiy and Trump, Ukraine’s president said negotiators from both countries met on Friday and could meet next week. He said in a WhatsApp media chat with reporters on Saturday that the details of a potential meeting were under consideration.
President Trump’s latest reprieve from Russia’s depleted coffers quickly drew criticism from both sides of the aisle in Washington.
If the bill stalls, it would, among other things, impose tariffs of up to 100% on goods brought into the United States from the five largest importers of Russian oil or gas, sales of which are crucial to financing the Kremlin’s war machine.
“I have provided Congress with certification that it is in the national interest of the United States to issue such a waiver at this time,” Trump said in an executive order released by the White House on Friday.
‘I feel like the world is forgetting about us’: Kiev resident continues to live under Russian attack
The order did not say why the decision was in the national interest, but said the exemption would remain in effect until the Trump administration determines “further action is appropriate.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday defended President Trump’s decision, telling reporters it gave the president time to “consider” how the sanctions would affect the global economy.
“The problem is that these sanctions weren’t just sanctions against Russia. They included tariffs on many countries, for example India,” Rubio said. “I think the president wants to spend 60 days analyzing what imposing both sanctions and tariffs would mean for the global economy, and by extension the U.S. economy.”
The measure was included in the Graham Act, a bill named after Sen. Lindsey Graham, a prominent 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: “Economic cooperation between Russia and the United States is in the interests of both countries.”
But several U.S. lawmakers, including a growing number of Republicans, quickly voiced opposition to the exemption.
Sen. Darin Graham, who was appointed to his brother’s seat after his death, said Saturday that he disagrees with the president’s decision.
“The president and I share the same goal: ending wars and lowering the price of gasoline and diesel, and the sanctions bill is one of the tools he can use to do that,” Graham said. “I don’t trust President Putin or Russia, so I will choose to continue to pressure Russia to end the war and lower gas prices.”
Republican Rep. Don Bacon said President Trump is “prolonging wars instead of ending them.”
Republican Rep. French Hill said he had asked for a confidential explanation of the basis for Trump’s decision. “We should increase economic pressure on Russia, not ease it,” he wrote on X.
Republican Representative Michael McCaul called on the president to “reverse course, use these sanctions, and return to the time-tested principle that lasting peace is secured through force, not accommodation.”
Outgoing Republican Sen. Thom Tillis on Saturday called the move “beyond irresponsible” and criticized President Trump for “causing himself to a Russian dictator who illegally invaded Ukraine and slaughtered innocent civilians every day.”
Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren cited “strong bipartisan support” for Ukraine and called it a “disastrous and predictable failure of leadership.”
And Sen. Richard Blumenthal, who helped draft the bill, said in X: “These exemptions have nothing to do with our national security and everything to do with appeasing Vladimir Putin.”
The turnaround caps a tumultuous week for U.S.-Ukrainian relations, raising concerns in Washington and Europe that President Trump is taking a series of steps to actively support President Putin.
Relentless attacks continue, with Russian nighttime attacks targeting energy facilities across the country. According to Ukraine’s Ministry of Energy, the entire city of Vinnytsia suffered a power outage.
Meanwhile, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that it had intercepted 610 Ukrainian drones.
President Trump blindsided European leaders last week when he struck a deal to allow Russian diesel exports. Zelenskiy said he felt betrayed by the move. The agreement sparked a bipartisan backlash domestically.
The US president has blamed the Ukraine-Russia war for rising fuel prices, hoping to divert attention from the Iran war, which remains unpopular with voters.
Relations between Ukraine and its most important backer, the United States, have also been strained by the United States’ apparent withdrawal of information sharing and restrictions on its Starlink satellite internet service.
Earlier this week, President Zelenskiy said the government “did not receive early warning from partners” before a deadly ballistic missile attack hit Kiev’s main power plant and damaged residential buildings. But President Trump said the United States has not stopped sharing information with Ukraine.
Ukrainian officials said they were also caught off guard by Elon Musk’s restrictions on the military version of Starlink, disrupting the operation of Ukraine’s drone missions and early warning systems and reducing the military’s capabilities in front-line logistics, communications and reconnaissance.
Denis Shinik, Ukraine’s top diplomat in Washington, told CNN on Saturday: “Based on the data currently available, we cannot confirm that these capabilities have been fully restored.”
President Trump also slammed the Ukrainian leader in an interview with Newsmax on Thursday, saying, “I think Mr. Zelensky is harder to deal with than Mr. Putin.”
Tensions are rising after CNN reported that Kiev has run out of missiles for the US-made Patriot air defense system, even as Russia continues to carry out devastating airstrikes and drone attacks on energy facilities in Ukraine.
Interceptors are among the few defensive weapons capable of shooting down ballistic missiles, and President Zelenskiy has been vocal about constant efforts to acquire more ammunition.
Meanwhile, European leaders are rallying around Zelensky. On Friday, Ukraine’s president quietly criticized Trump during a summit in Belgium, praising the continent’s “true leader.”
European Union (EU) leaders said they are preparing a new sanctions package against Russia. This is the 22nd time since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In contrast to the Trump administration, the union was keen to stress that sanctions against Russia would increase unless Putin ended the war.
This story has been updated with additional developments.
