Listen to this articleDear 5 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated using AI-based technology. Pronunciation errors may occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve results. US President Donald Trump on Friday signed an executive order suspending a sweeping new sanctions package targeting the Russian economy, telling Congress that the pause was in the national interest. Trump personally signed the legislation last month, and his move came just two days before the deadline set in the law itself for its implementation. Named after the late South Carolina senator Lindsey Graham, it had sought to more quickly clamp down on the flow of financial resources fueling the war against Ukraine. Trump’s unexpected move comes a week after he surprisingly said that the United States had agreed to buy diesel from Russia to try to reduce global energy prices, even though that could hurt Ukraine in its war with Russia. An AP-NORC Public Affairs Research Center poll released Oct. 1 found that Americans disapprove of the president’s handling of the war with Iran and blame him for higher prices. Trump’s approval ratings have fallen to near-historic lows and pressure is mounting as Republicans try to maintain control of both chambers of Congress on Election Day on Nov. 3. Graham, a close ally and friend of the president, had just returned from Ukraine when he died unexpectedly in July. He had advocated for tougher U.S. sanctions against Russia as a way to pressure it to end its war in Ukraine. His colleagues in Congress responded with bipartisan support after his death and Trump signed the legislation, but then changed his mind on Friday. The package was aimed at depriving Russian President Vladimir Putin of the resources Moscow needs to continue its war in Ukraine after invading its neighbor more than four years ago. The bill, also authored by Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, sanctions Russian officials, banks and a ghost fleet of oil tankers that keep Russian energy moving. It also orders Trump to impose tariffs of up to 100 percent on the top five importers of Russian oil or natural gas, except for countries that import less than 15 percent of Russia’s natural gas exports and have taken significant steps to reduce those imports. Virginia Democratic Rep. Don Beyer noted on social media shortly after the suspension of sanctions was announced that he and others had “warned” that Trump might take such action. The veteran congressman, who spoke out against the bill while it was being debated, called on Congress to “fix this flawed law to prevent Trump from capitulating to Putin and ensure that he truly supports Ukraine.” The White House did not immediately explain why suspending sanctions was in the national interest. The decision was posted on the White House website late last night, and the notification noted that the report explaining the decision had been submitted to Congress. Still, it comes as Trump has increasingly lashed out at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, blaming him for failing to reach a deal with Putin to end the fighting. Zelensky. Deal follows after Putin’s call The US president’s latest action also came after he announced last week that he had reached a deal with Putin. SEE | Trump, the price of diesel and a deal with Russia: The failed math of Trump’s diesel deal with Putin | About ThatU.S. President Donald Trump says a new diesel deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin will ease rising fuel costs and reduce inflation. Andrew Chang discusses the deal and what it means beyond the pump. Trump said Russia would immediately supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel, followed by an additional 500,000 tons in November and one million tons “immediately thereafter.” Russia will deliver an additional 3 million tons “within a short period of time” after that, he wrote. Trump’s decision to strike a deal with Putin over diesel on the global market has been ridiculed by both Republicans and Democrats, who say it will help Russia carry out its war against Ukraine, without changing global fuel prices, which are elevated primarily due to Trump’s war against Iran. Meanwhile, the sanctions that Trump has now suspended have also become a centerpiece of the campaign of Senator Darline Graham, the late senator’s sister appointed to serve out the remaining months of his current term, who is also running to replace him in the Senate on a more permanent basis. In a debate earlier this week with Democratic candidate Annie Andrews, Graham, who is endorsed by Trump and is expected to campaign with him in South Carolina next week, said she had been “very proud” to help get the measure passed, but acknowledged it was up to the president how to implement it. “It gives the president tools that he can use if he wants to, to end the war through economic sanctions,” Graham said Sunday during a debate in Columbia, South Carolina. “So it’s up to him whether he wants to use it or not, or whether he wants to use something else, but I think the purpose is to lower gas prices and ultimately end the war. And when the war ends, gas prices will fall.”
