WASHINGTON — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday condemned President Donald Trump’s decision to waive new US sanctions and tariffs on Russia as “wrong,” warning the move will bring Moscow relief and encourage more attacks — an extraordinary public rebuke over Russia sanctions days before the measures were to take effect.
“The decision to undo all of this, to block all of it, seems wrong to me,” Zelenskyy wrote on X. “It definitely helps only the Russians.”
What Trump’s Russia sanctions waiver blocks
An executive order issued by Trump on Friday night waived key Russia-related US sanctions and tariffs — including duties on the country’s goods and penalties for buying its oil and gas — that had been scheduled to start next week under legislation known as the Graham Act, which Trump signed into law last month.
The Russia sanctions and tariffs had been designed to squeeze Moscow’s war economy. The package would have imposed tariffs of up to 100 percent on the top five importers of Russian crude oil and gas, along with restrictions aimed at Russia’s “shadow fleet” of oil tankers and its energy and defense sectors.
Trump said the waiver was in the national interests of the United States. The order said the waiver will remain in effect until Trump or his top officials determine that “further action is appropriate.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the move as a 60-day pause to “analyze” the impact of the sanctions and tariffs on the global economy and the United States, citing the US war with Iran and Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia as factors driving energy prices higher.
Zelenskyy’s response
Zelenskyy said Trump’s latest action emboldens Russian President Vladimir Putin and encourages more attacks by Russia.
“It only fuels their satisfaction and their desire to keep killing people,” wrote Zelenskyy, who said Russia on Friday struck more than 15 Ukrainian power generation and transmission sites. “This certainly does not stop the war.”
The Ukrainian leader accused Russia of planning to ramp up strikes in western Ukraine. “Is Russia preparing for this? I think so,” Zelenskyy wrote.
The decision came despite Russia increasing strikes on Ukraine — especially the capital, Kyiv — in the fifth year of its offensive, which has killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced millions.
Zelenskyy said the Lindsey Graham Act was “supposed to impose truly effective pressure on Russia to bring this war to an end,” adding that the act “could have helped enormously — and still can!”
Zelenskyy warned that Russia is trying to leave millions of Ukrainians without electricity and heating ahead of winter, calling Moscow’s campaign one of the largest assaults on the country’s energy grid.
He urged supporters in the United States to speak out in favor of the Russia sanctions, arguing that the Lindsey Graham Act could have helped pressure Moscow to end the conflict.
Congress pushes back on the Russia sanctions pause
Supporters of the Russia sanctions law in Congress reacted with bipartisan anger. Representative Don Beyer, a Virginia Democrat, said Trump’s “latest surrender to Putin again betrays our Ukrainian partners and defies clear congressional intent of legislation designed to punish Russia for its illegal war of aggression.”
Republican Senator Thom Tillis called the move “beyond irresponsible,” while Senator Ted Cruz described it as “a mistake.”
The legislation is named for the late Senator Lindsey Graham, who died in July and strongly supported US assistance to Ukraine. Zelenskyy said the bill’s passage had provided hope of continued bipartisan support for Kyiv.
International reaction to the Russia sanctions waiver
The proposed Russia sanctions had also drawn warnings from abroad. Beijing has said it “consistently opposed long-arm jurisdiction that lacks a basis in international law,” while India warned Washington that new tariffs could impact bilateral ties.
Warming toward Moscow
The law is meant to increase pressure on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine that began in 2022. Trump, however, has been warming toward Moscow while publicly criticizing Zelenskyy, including suggesting Kyiv needs a new leader.
Zelenskyy predicted further Russia sanctions relief beyond Friday’s waiver, pointing to the diesel export agreement announced earlier this month. “I think the diesel deal and the move regarding the Lindsey Graham Act are not the end of it. Unfortunately,” he wrote.
Whether the Russia sanctions debate now shifts to Congress or fades into the administration’s broader rapprochement with Moscow, Kyiv’s message on Saturday was blunt: easing economic pressure, Zelenskyy argued, will not stop the war.