New Delhi: The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has criticized the US president, Donald Trump, for waiving key provisions of a sanctions law targeting Russia. He warned that easing pressure could give Russia the financial means to continue its war against Ukraine. His remarks came after one of Russia’s largest attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure ahead of winter. Meanwhile, Kirill Dmitriev, the special envoy of the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, welcomed the US move as an “important and truly historic moment”.
In a post on X on Saturday, Zelenskyy said Russian forces had struck more than 15 power generation and transmission facilities. The worst-hit areas included Lutsk, Rivne, Zhytomyr, Vinnytsia, Shepetivka, Slavuta and Netishyn. Energy facilities in the Kharkiv, Kyiv and Dnipro regions were also hit, with repair work under way.
Zelenskyy said Russia had launched more than 320 Shahed drones, loitering munitions, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles between 7pm on Friday and 7am on Saturday. He said Ukrainian forces had intercepted many of the incoming weapons but warned that the scale of the attacks was straining the country’s energy reserves and repair capacity.
He accused Russia of trying to cause a blackout before winter, potentially leaving citizens without electricity and heating. Zelenskyy also criticized Washington for disregarding the Lindsey O Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, which he said could put effective economic pressure on Moscow.
He urged Americans to support the legislation and called for continued international pressure to stop the attacks. Zelenskyy thanked European partners for preparing new support packages and warned against giving Putin more reasons to prolong the war.
Putin’s envoy welcomes the decision
Dmitriev, who heads the Russian Direct Investment Fund and serves as Putin’s special envoy for investment and economic cooperation, welcomed the suspension in a post on X. He said the legislation had undergone “fundamental and deeply negative changes” following the death of the senator Lindsey Graham. He also said US-Russia economic dialogue and peacemaking efforts would continue.
What Trump’s order changes
Trump signed an executive order on Friday waiving specified sanctions, restrictions and duties under the law. The White House said he had certified to Congress that the decision was in the national interests of the US, RNA Media reported. The order came two days before the relevant measures were due to take effect on October 18.
Signed by Trump on September 18, the law authorizes an additional 500 per cent duty on Russian goods and 100 per cent duties on goods from the five largest importers of Russian crude oil and natural gas under specified conditions. The legislation also targets countries facilitating the evasion of Russian oil sanctions.
The order suspends the specified provisions but does not cancel the law permanently or end all existing US sanctions against Russia. The administration will continue monitoring Russian energy purchases and activities linked to sanctions evasion, while Trump retains the authority to restore the suspended measures.
Western countries imposed extensive sanctions on Russia after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The restrictions sought to limit Moscow’s access to international markets and reduce its revenue from key sectors, including energy. Trump’s latest decision pauses specific measures under the new law while leaving the broader sanctions framework in place.