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Geopolitics · Europe

Trump waives Russia sanctions as Zelenskyy warns pressure will ease

Donald Trump issued an executive order waiving Russia-related U.S. sanctions and tariffs that were due to take effect the following week. Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the decision would help Russia and called the waiver wrong.

AI-assisted synthesis · Based on 6 outlets' reporting · Article text read from 2 of 6 outletsHow it's made

View timeline · 7 entries
6 outlets3 regionsLatest reporting 4 min read
Coverage: MixedL 2 · C 3 · R 0 · 1 unrated
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Photo: Daniel Torok / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

What happened

Key facts

  • Trump's executive order Friday night waived sanctions and tariffs that were due to take effect the following week (per CNA).
  • Trump said in the executive order that waiving the sanctions was in the national interests of the United States (per CNA, nbcwashington.com, NBC News).
  • The measures were part of the Graham Act, which Trump signed into law last month and which was intended to increase pressure on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine (per CNA, nbcwashington.com).
  • The sanctions were intended to limit Russia’s revenue streams as its war against Ukraine continues (per nbcwashington.com, CNA).
  • Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the waiver would provide relief to Russia (per CNA, The Guardian, nbcwashington.com).
  • Zelenskyy called the waiver wrong and said it would not stop the war (per CNA).
  • Zelenskyy said Russia struck more than 15 Ukrainian power generation and transmission sites on Friday (per CNA).
  • Zelenskyy accused Russia of planning to increase strikes in western Ukraine (per CNA, nbcwashington.com).

The brief

Donald Trump waived Russia-related U.S. sanctions and tariffs in an executive order issued Friday night, before the measures were due to take effect the following week. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the decision would give Russia further relief and called it wrong. Trump said the waiver served U.S. national interests.

The waived measures were part of the Graham Act, which Trump signed into law last month. CNA reported that the law was intended to increase pressure on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. NBC Washington described the sanctions as intended to limit Russia’s revenue streams as the war continues.

The coverage thus identifies the policy’s stated mechanism as financial pressure, while Trump’s order gave the U.S. national interest as his reason for waiving it. Zelenskyy posted his criticism on X on Saturday. He said the waiver would help Russia and would not stop the war.

CNA also reported that Zelenskyy characterized the decision as encouraging further Russian military actions. Those are Zelenskyy’s assessments; the reports do not establish that the waiver has already changed Russian conduct. Zelenskyy said Russia struck more than 15 Ukrainian power generation and transmission sites on Friday.

He also accused Russia of planning to increase strikes in western Ukraine. The reported count and the allegation about future plans come from Zelenskyy’s account, rather than independent confirmation in these reports. The coverage does not establish a link between those alleged plans and Trump’s waiver. The response from U.S. lawmakers was divided in the accounts.

NBC Washington reported that Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal called the move “a craven, cowardly action” and said it had nothing to do with U.S. national security. Republican Representative Don Bacon, whom the outlet described as a staunch Ukraine ally, said Trump was prolonging the war rather than ending it.

CNA also reported a statement by Representative Beyer, who criticized the waiver as contrary to congressional intent and described it as a concession to Vladimir Putin. The immediate policy change is clear: Trump waived sanctions and tariffs before their scheduled start.

The reporting describes the order’s stated national-interest rationale and the measures’ intended pressure on Russia, but it does not establish what prompted Trump’s decision or what effect the waiver will have on Russia’s revenue or military actions.

Zelenskyy’s criticism and the lawmakers’ comments show that the move drew objections in Washington and Kyiv, while Trump’s stated justification was U.S. national interest.

Why it matters

  • Ukrainians face the direct security stakes described by Zelenskyy: he said Russia struck more than 15 power generation and transmission sites and alleged plans for further strikes in western Ukraine.
  • The policy mechanism is financial: the waived measures were intended to limit Russia’s revenue streams and increase pressure on Russia over its war against Ukraine.
  • Trump said the waiver served U.S. national interests, while Zelenskyy said it would help Russia; their stated positions differ on the consequences of removing the sanctions and tariffs.
  • U.S. lawmakers also expressed competing views: Richard Blumenthal criticized the waiver, while Don Bacon said Trump was prolonging the war rather than ending it.

What to watch next

  • Whether Trump or his officials allow the sanctions and tariffs to take effect after the scheduled start the following week.
  • Whether Trump or U.S. officials take further action under the executive order; CNA reported that it would remain in effect until they determine further action is appropriate.
  • Whether Russia carries out the increased strikes in western Ukraine that Zelenskyy alleged it was planning.
  • Whether the U.S. lawmakers who criticized the waiver take further action regarding the Graham Act or the executive order.

How it's being covered

Coverage analysisShow details
6 source articles · 6 unique outlets
Outlet political mix: Mixed· 2 Left · 3 Center · 1 unrated
Where the outlets are based: US/Canada 33% · Europe 33% · Other 34%
Outlet political mix
Mixed
Left
Center
Right
2 outlets
3 outlets
0 outlets
The marker shows coverage balance: each unique outlet counts once. 1 unrated outlet is not included.
Geography
Where the outlets covering this story are based.
6 unique outletsDominant coverage: US/Canada
How we measure coverage

How outlets' accounts compare

2 framing differences · 5 uncorroborated claims · 3 information gaps
The reports repeat the same account with different emphasis; its central claims are not independently confirmed in the reporting Updat3 read.Compared across 2 reports whose article text Updat3 read; 4 other outlets were checked by headline only.
Framing / emphasis differences
Sources emphasise different angles, actors or consequences of the same reporting.
  • CNA foregrounds Zelenskyy’s view that the waiver would help Russia and could encourage further Russian military actions; NBC Washington focuses on the sanctions’ intended effect on Russia’s revenue and includes criticism from U.S. lawmakers.
  • Trump’s stated rationale is presented as U.S. national interests, while Blumenthal disputed that rationale and said the waiver was unrelated to national security.
Updat3: These are differences of emphasis, not disputes about what is reported. They do not show that the reported claims are true.
One-sided or uncorroborated claims
Claims that come from one party or one source family and are not independently corroborated.
  • The reports do not establish what prompted Trump to issue the waiver or show that it caused or would cause further Russian military action.
  • Zelenskyy attributed the reported strikes on more than 15 Ukrainian energy sites to Russia; this account is not independently verified in the reports.
  • Trump said the waiver was in the national interests of the United States.
  • Zelenskyy called the waiver wrong and said it would help Russia.
  • Blumenthal called the move “a craven, cowardly action,” while Don Bacon said Trump was prolonging the war rather than ending it.
Updat3: Not independently corroborated yet — treat as a claim, not an established fact.
Not established by the reporting
Information the available reporting does not contain or confirm. This is a gap, not a disagreement.
  • The reports do not identify the specific sanctions or tariffs waived, their exact scope, or the expected dollar value of the revenue they were intended to limit.
  • The reports do not provide independent casualty or damage figures from the strikes Zelenskyy described.
  • Zelenskyy’s claim that Russia struck more than 15 Ukrainian power generation and transmission sites, and his accusation that Russia planned further strikes in western Ukraine, are not independently confirmed in the reports.
Updat3: Updat3 cannot conclude anything about this from the current sources.

Timeline

Developments from this story's sources, dated background we compiled and fact-checked, and our earlier coverage. Each row says which.
  1. NATO expansion discussions in 1990 included assurances to Soviet leaders about non-expansion, though the scope and meaning of those assurances have since been disputed.
    Background · from our historical context
  2. Ukraine, Russia, the United States and the United Kingdom signed the Budapest Memorandum on security assurances.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  3. The European Union adopted its own restrictive measures in 2014, including limits on access to EU capital markets and trade in military and dual-use goods.
    Background · from our historical context
  4. The United States imposed its first major post-2014 sanctions through Executive Orders 13660, 13661 and 13662, issued in March 2014, after Russia seized and annexed Crimea.
    Background · from our historical context
  5. Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  6. Senators Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal introduced a bipartisan bill proposing sanctions on Russia and tariffs on countries buying Russian oil.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  7. President Donald Trump signed the Graham Act, which included sanctions and tariffs intended to increase pressure on Russia.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3

How we got here

In September 2026, President Donald Trump signed the Graham Act, a law intended to increase pressure on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine; its planned sanctions and tariffs formed the immediate legislative backdrop to the later waiver.

The United States had already built an extensive sanctions framework after Russia’s 2022 invasion, including restrictions on Russian banks, state-owned companies, technology imports and energy revenues. The United States imposed its first major post-2014 sanctions through Executive Orders 13660, 13661 and 13662, issued in March 2014, after Russia seized and annexed Crimea.

Original sources

6 articles from 6 outlets

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