Trump Blocks New Russia Sanctions Days Before They Take Effect

U.S. President Donald Trump has waived sweeping new sanctions on Russia passed by Congress, blocking them two days before they were due to take effect.

An executive order signed on Friday set aside the measures, along with tariffs, including duties on Russian goods, according to NBC News and Reuters.

Trump said the decision was an effort to keep Moscow at the negotiating table. He said he is negotiating peace in the war between Russia and Ukraine and did not want to drive Russia away from the bargaining table, according to the BBC.

Sanctions, which restrict trade, finance and other dealings, had been intended as pressure on Moscow. Trump signed the legislation behind them, known as the Graham Act, into law in the month before the waiver order.

On Sunday, Trump said he would not sign a document imposing additional measures on Russia for now, to avoid undermining peace talks on Ukraine, according to Anadolu Agency. On Truth Social, he claimed that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky does not want to end the war with Russia.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Trump will take up to 60 days to assess the impact of waiving the Graham Act sanctions, Reuters reported.

In Moscow, the order was welcomed. Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev called the suspension an important and truly historic moment. He said the suspended sanctions would have inflicted serious damage on the U.S. and global market.

Ukraine has accused the Trump administration of withdrawing key military support. Zelensky told NBC News that siding with Russian President Vladimir Putin would be a historic mistake.

The waiver coincided with a deal struck last week for the United States to import Russian diesel.