Just days before a raft of new US sanctions targeting Russia’s economy was due to kick in, President Donald Trump hit pause.
He issued an executive order waiving the restrictions and duties in the so-called Graham Act, saying it was in the national interests of the United States. The legislation, formulated by late Senator Lindsey Graham, sanctions banks, Kremlin officials and a shadow fleet of oil tankers.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders have condemned the deal. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said: “If we want to end this war, then we have to squeeze the aggressor.”
Trump is increasingly framing Zelenskyy as the stumbling block to peace. On October 10 he said it was “time for Ukraine to get a new president”. Their relationship hit a low point at the Oval Office in February 2025.
With the US midterms weeks away, Trump is under pressure at home over the war in Iran and soaring energy costs.
Al Jazeera’s Michael Appel reports.
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