Trump Pauses Sanctions on Russia as Ukraine’s Energy Grid Comes Under Heavy Attack

The United States announced a 60-day suspension of a sweeping sanctions package targeting Russia’s energy sector, financial institutions and a fleet of oil tankers. The legislation, known as the Lindsey Graham Act, would have imposed up to a 100 % tariff on the top five importers of Russian oil or natural gas, with limited exemptions. “The president wants to take the 60-day period of time to sort of analyse what imposing both sanctions and tariffs will mean to the global economy and even to the US economy,” — Marco Rubio. Simultaneously, the Trump administration confirmed a deal to purchase Russian diesel—initially 300,000 tonnes, followed by 500,000 tonnes in November and a further million tonnes “immediately thereafter,” with an additional three million tonnes promised shortly after.

The Guardian

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the sanction waiver as a “reward” for Vladimir Putin and warned it would embolden the Kremlin to intensify its war. “Unfortunately, the lifting of sanctions will continue, and I believe that the ‘diesel deal’ is the first step,” — Volodymyr Zelenskyy and urged the United States to revive the Graham Act, arguing that the law Zelenskyy also expressed hope that the U.S. president would act to stop Russian strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure “We very much hope – and I personally hope – that the president of the United States of America will do everything so that Putin stops the killings, stops the strikes on our energy infrastructure, and stops this war,” — Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The Guardian

Secretary of State Marco Rubio framed the pause as a temporary analytical window, noting that the sanctions affect multiple countries, not only Russia. No further official Russian commentary on the policy’s impact was provided.

The Guardian

During the same period, Russia launched one of its most extensive attacks on Ukrainian power generation and transmission facilities, targeting more than 15 critical sites. Zelenskyy reported that Ukraine’s dwindling stock of anti-air weapons hampers its ability to intercept the “sheer scale and unrelenting pace” of loitering munitions, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles aimed at the energy sector. The combined effect of the sanctions pause, the diesel purchase agreement, and the intensified Russian strikes has heightened concerns about Ukraine’s capacity to maintain electricity supplies through the approaching winter.

The Guardian