U.S. President Donald Trump has temporarily suspended implementation of the sweeping sanctions package against Russia that he signed into law last month. In a notification to Congress, he said the pause serves the national interest.
According to sources, Trump signed the executive order on Friday, just two days before the deadline by which the law required the sanctions package to take effect.
Background of the law
The law is named after Lindsey Graham, the Republican senator who died unexpectedly in July after returning from Ukraine. It passed the House and Senate by large margins. The bipartisan measure was drafted by Graham and Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal.
The law aims to cut off Moscow's financing for the war by sanctioning Russian officials, banks, and the shadow tanker fleet that transports the country's energy.
The law also directs Trump to impose tariffs of up to 100% on the five largest importers of Russian oil or gas, with an exemption for countries that import less than 15% of Russia's exported natural gas and are taking steps to reduce imports.
Diesel deal and reaction
The decision to suspend the sanctions came a week after Trump announced that the U.S. had signed a deal to buy diesel from Russia in an effort to lower global fuel prices.
Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers criticized the deal, arguing it would support Russia's war effort without affecting fuel prices.
Democratic Representative Don Beyer said he and others had "warned" that Trump might take such a step in connection with the deal with Moscow. Beyer called on Congress to "fix this flawed law to prevent Trump from making concessions to Putin and to ensure the law truly supports Ukraine."
Trump has also increasingly criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in recent days for failing to reach an agreement with Russia.
As Republicans try to hold on to control of Congress in the November 3 midterm elections, an AP-NORC poll released on October 1 found that Americans disapprove of Trump's handling of Iran and blame him for rising prices and several other domestic policy issues.
