Trump puts new Russia sanctions on hold, drawing criticism in Congress

WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump has paused a broad package of new sanctions and tariffs targeting Russia, two days before they were set to take effect under a law he signed last month.

The law, known as the Graham Act, passed both chambers of Congress by large margins. It sanctions Russian officials, banks and the “shadow fleet” of tankers that carries Russian energy exports, and directs tariffs of up to 100% on the largest buyers of Russian oil and gas.

In an executive order issued Friday, Trump told Congress that pausing the measures is in the national interest. The move came a week after he announced a deal to buy Russian diesel to help lower fuel prices, which lawmakers from both parties criticized.

Rep. Don Beyer, a Virginia Democrat, said lawmakers had “warned” this could happen and urged Congress to “fix this flawed law to stop Trump from capitulating to Putin and ensure that it truly supports Ukraine.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Trump is “rewarding Putin,” NBC News reported, while Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev called the decision “an important and truly historic moment.”

The decision is likely to deepen the debate in Washington over how much economic pressure the United States should keep on Russia over the war in Ukraine.