MOSCOW (dpa-AFX) - President Donald Trump has defended his decision to waive certain sanctions against Russia saying that it is aimed at keeping the Putin regime at the negotiating table with Ukraine.
'I am in the process of negotiating Peace in the war between Russia and Ukraine, and don't want to do anything that will drive, foolishly, Russia away from the bargaining table,' Trump wrote on Truth Social Sunday.
While claiming that he believes 'great progress is being made' in talks to end the war in Ukraine, Trump criticized his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy, accusing that he 'doesn't want to end this war, and probably never did.'
On Friday, Trump signed an executive order waiving new sanctions on Russia, two days before they were due to take effect.
This is contrary to the Lindsey Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 that he signed into law on September 18.
The legislation aims to add further pressure on the Russian economy and drain its sources to wage its war against Ukraine.
It gives President Trump broad powers to impose sanctions on top figures in the Russian government, including President Vladimir Putin, as well as Russian oligarchs, state-owned enterprises and foreign companies supporting the country's defense industrial base.
The bill, titled the 'Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026', also authorizes the President to impose secondary tariffs of up to 100 percent on countries that import oil and gas from Russia, which includes China and India, as well as to extend sanctions on Iran.
Trump says suspending some sanctions was in the US national interest, prompting a backlash from US lawmakers as well as Zelenskyy.
According to the Ukrainian leader, it would be a 'historic mistake'.
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