Angry reactions to Trump's suspension of sanctions related to Russia before they take effect.. What do we know?

- US President Donald Trump issued a decision to exempt an additional set of sanctions related to Russian fossil fuel sales, which sparked bipartisan opposition (Republican and Democratic) just days before these sanctions were scheduled to enter into force, under a law that Trump had signed last month. This exemption, which was announced in an executive order on Friday, comes at a time when disagreements are escalating between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and as cracks appear in Washington’s support for Kiev in its years-long war against its invading neighbor. This raised increasing concern among European allies.

Even Trump's close allies — including Senator Darlene Graham, whose late brother named the sanctions law — expressed disagreement with the president on the decision. The White House has exerted intense pressure on Ukraine to stop its attacks on Russian refineries, in an effort to reduce oil prices ahead of the midterm elections in the United States.

Although Kiev briefly responded to the request, it resumed attacks, while Russia continued to bomb Ukraine's energy infrastructure throughout the week. Zelensky condemned Trump's move, which coincided with Russia launching what he described as one of its largest attacks on the Ukrainian energy sector.

“At a time when the Russians are launching a large-scale attack on our energy sector, a decision has been made in America that, unfortunately, completely ignores the Lindsey Graham Act, which was supposed to put really effective pressure on Russia to end this war,” he said. He added: “This law could have helped tremendously - and still can!

But it needs to be actually activated, and every vote that supports it matters.” Despite the existing tensions between Zelensky and Trump, the Ukrainian president said that negotiators from the two countries held talks on Friday, and that they would likely hold a meeting next week.

In a conversation via WhatsApp with journalists on Saturday, Zelensky indicated that details of a possible meeting are currently being worked out. Trump's recent decision to grant an exception to Moscow's depleted coffers sparked swift criticism from both parties in Washington.

The suspended legislation would have imposed tariffs of up to 100% on, among other things, goods entering the United States from the five largest importers of Russian crude oil or gas; Note that selling these resources is an essential pillar of financing the Kremlin’s war machine. Trump said in an order issued by the White House on Friday: “I have submitted to Congress certification that issuing such an exception at this time serves the national interests of the United States.”

The order did not explain why this decision was in the national interest, and stated that the exemption would remain in effect until the Trump administration decides that “additional measures are appropriate.” On Saturday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended Trump's decision, telling reporters that the decision gives the president time to "study" how the sanctions might affect the global economy.

Rubio said: “The problem is that these sanctions were not directed only against Russia, but also included imposing customs tariffs on a number of countries, such as India, for example, and other countries.” He added: "I believe that the president wants to take advantage of this sixty-day period to analyze the repercussions of imposing both sanctions and tariffs on the global economy, and even on the American economy as well."

These measures were included in the Graham Act - legislation named after Senator Lindsey Graham, known for his tough stance on Russia, who passed away in July. For his part, Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian sovereign wealth fund, praised this exception in a post on the “X” platform, describing it as “a truly important and historic moment,” adding that “economic cooperation between Russia and the United States is in the interest of both countries.”

Backlash But a number of US lawmakers, including a growing number of Republicans, were quick to announce their opposition to this exemption. Senator Darlene Graham, who was appointed to her brother's seat after his death, said Saturday that she did not agree with the president's decision.

“The president and I share the same goal, which is to end the war and lower gasoline and diesel prices,” Graham said. “The sanctions bill is one tool he can use to achieve that.”

She added: "I support maintaining pressure on Russia to end the war and reduce fuel prices, because I do not trust Putin and I do not trust Russia." For his part, Republican Representative Don Bacon said that Trump is "prolonging the war, not ending it."

As for Republican Representative French Hill, he stated that he requested a confidential briefing about the reasons behind Trump's decision. “We should increase economic pressure on Russia, not reduce it,” he wrote on the “X” platform.

Republican Representative Michael McCaul urged the president to "change his course, activate these sanctions, and return to the principle that time has proven to be correct, which is that lasting peace is achieved through force, not through appeasement." Outgoing Republican Senator Thom Tillis described this step on Saturday as "completely irresponsible" and criticized Trump for "submitting to a Russian dictator who illegally invaded Ukraine and is slaughtering innocent civilians every day."

As for Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren, she described the matter as “a catastrophic and expected failure of leadership,” noting that there is “strong bipartisan support” for Ukraine. For his part, Senator Richard Blumenthal - who participated in drafting the bill - said on the X platform: “These exemptions have nothing to do with our national security. Everything is an attempt to appease Vladimir Putin.”

A bitter dispute This shift culminates a turbulent week in US-Ukrainian relations, which has raised concerns in Washington and Europe that Trump is taking a series of steps actually aimed at helping Putin. The attacks continue unabated, as Russian strikes - which occurred overnight - targeted energy facilities across the country.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Energy stated that the entire city of Vinnitsa was without electricity. On the other hand, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that it had intercepted 610 Ukrainian drones.

Trump surprised European leaders last week by concluding an agreement allowing the export of Russian diesel. A move that Zelensky said made him feel betrayed. This agreement was also met with criticism from both parties within the United States.

The US President attributed the rise in fuel prices to the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia, in an attempt to divert attention from his war in Iran, which still enjoys widespread opposition among voters. Relations between Ukraine and its most important supporter, the United States, have also witnessed tension. This is due to what appears to be a cessation of the exchange of intelligence information from the American side, and the imposition of restrictions on the Internet service via Starlink satellites.

Earlier this week, Zelensky said his government had received "no advance warning from our partners" before a deadly ballistic missile attack targeted a major power station in Kiev and damaged an apartment building. On the other hand, Trump stressed that the United States did not stop sharing intelligence information with Ukraine.

The Ukrainian authorities also stated that they were surprised by the imposition of restrictions on the version intended for military use of Elon Musk’s “Starlink” system. Which led to the disruption of drone operations and early warning systems, and limited the army’s capabilities with regard to front-line logistics, communications, and reconnaissance work. “Based on the data currently available to us, we cannot confirm that these capabilities have been fully restored,” Denis Senyk, the top Ukrainian diplomat in Washington, told Ufaq News on Saturday.

On the other hand, Trump attacked the Ukrainian leader during an interview with Newsmax on Thursday, saying: “I find it more difficult to deal with Zelensky than to deal with Putin.” These escalating tensions come at a time when the Ufuq News Network reported that Kiev has exhausted the missiles of the US-made Patriot air defense system, while Russia continues to launch devastating air strikes and drone attacks targeting Ukrainian energy facilities.

Interceptors are among the few defensive weapons capable of shooting down ballistic missiles, and Zelensky has repeatedly expressed his continued struggle to obtain more of them. Meanwhile, European leaders are lining up to support Zelensky; On Friday, the Ukrainian president, in statements that carried a veiled allusion directed at Trump, praised the “true leaders” on the continent, during a summit held in Belgium.

European Union leaders stated that they are preparing a new package of sanctions against Russia, the 22nd package since the start of its comprehensive invasion of Ukraine. In contrast to the Trump administration's approach, the European Union was keen to stress that sanctions imposed on Moscow would be tightened unless Putin stopped the war.