Trump waives new Russia sanctions

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US President Donald Trump waived new sanctions on Russia days before they were set to take effect, reversing a bipartisan congressional push and raising fresh questions about Washington’s commitment to Ukraine.
Trump’s energy secretary defended the decision as a “carrot” to encourage peace, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was meeting Trump’s envoys to arrange a new round of peace talks.
But as Washington eases up on Moscow and clamps down on Kyiv, Europe faces growing pressure to step up its own support: “Trump’s deal with Putin undermines Ukraine, but it will not fundamentally change the war,” wrote a Chatham House analyst. “What will be decisive is ensuring Ukraine’s economy gets through a difficult winter.”

document fetched 2026-10-23 22:19 · canonical https://semafor.com/article/10/18/2026/trump-waives-new-russia-sanctions