President Donald Trump has waived numerous sanctions on Russia two days before they were due to take effect. In an executive order issued on Friday night, he said suspending some of the measures served the US national interest.
Congress passed the sanctions, and Trump signed them into law in September. They targeted Russian financial institutions, senior figures including Vladimir Putin, and vessels used to evade existing embargoes. The law also gave Trump powers to impose tariffs of up to 100% on imports from major buyers of Russian oil and gas, notably China and India.
The decision comes amid a worsening dispute between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Zelensky criticised the waiver, while Democratic lawmakers accused Trump of yielding to Moscow. Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev welcomed the move, calling it "an important and truly historic moment".
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