In brief
President Donald Trump has suspended a set of sanctions on Russia, saying the move is aimed at keeping Moscow willing to negotiate peace in the Ukraine war. The decision was made ahead of their scheduled enforcement amid a growing rift between the U.S. and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky over arms and sanctions. Russian officials called the pause a ‘historic’ moment, while U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said they would assess the impact over 60 days. Zelensky, meanwhile, criticized the U.S. diesel import deal and said he hoped Trump would lift more sanctions.
President Donald Trump has halted a set of Russian sanctions that were due to take effect next week, claiming the pause is intended to keep Moscow on the negotiating table in its war with Ukraine.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said “I am in the process of negotiating Peace in the war between Russia and Ukraine” and that he would avoid actions that might push Russia “foolishly” away from talks.
The move comes after a sharp backlash from Kyiv, where President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that backing Putin would be a historic mistake and called for harsher sanctions to block Russian war funding.
Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev described the suspension as “an important and truly historic moment”, adding that the sanctions could have caused severe damage to the U.S. and global markets.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the 60‑day pause would allow Washington to assess the economic consequences of the lifted measures before deciding whether to re‑apply them.
Zelensky criticized Washington’s plans to import Russian diesel, arguing the deal would effectively support Russia’s war effort, and raised concerns about a perceived slowdown of Starlink internet for Ukraine.
Despite the sanctions, Russian oil continues to reach China and India at discounted prices, with the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air reporting that China accounts for about 50% of Russia’s crude exports and India for 37%.
