Trump Waives Russia Sanctions Before 2-Day Deadline as Gas Holds Near $4.30
Updated
Updated · The Daily Beast · Oct 19
Trump Waives Russia Sanctions Before 2-Day Deadline as Gas Holds Near $4.30
3 articles · Updated · The Daily Beast · Oct 19
Summary
An executive order signed Friday waived U.S. sanctions and tariffs on Russia just two days before they were due to take effect, with Trump saying he wanted to keep Vladimir Putin at the peace table.
In a Sunday Truth Social post, Trump said tougher measures would "drive" Russia away from talks, added that Moscow was not aiding Iran as much as it could, and tied the move to broader hostage and Ukraine negotiations.
Diesel sits at the center of the policy: Trump earlier reopened U.S. imports of Russian diesel, blamed Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries for disrupting world diesel markets, and faces national gasoline prices just under $4.30 a gallon before midterms.
Volodymyr Zelensky called any U.S. alignment with Putin a "historic mistake," while Energy Secretary Chris Wright argued diesel exports would pressure Russia to scale back the war to free up supply.
Republican backlash is already building, with three GOP senators urging Trump to reverse the diesel move and Senator John Cornyn saying the late Lindsey Graham would be "appalled" by helping Putin.