US President Donald Trump has faced criticism from lawmakers across party lines after signing an executive order waiving sweeping sanctions and tariffs aimed at curbing Russia’s energy revenues, with several politicians accusing him of yielding to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The decision has drawn objections from Democrats and some Republicans, who argue that easing economic pressure on Moscow could help sustain its war against Ukraine rather than bring the conflict to an end.
Senator Richard Blumenthal, who helped draft the Lindsey Graham Act alongside the late Senator Lindsey Graham, accused Trump of turning his back on most Americans, their elected representatives in Congress and US allies in Europe.
“These waivers have nothing to do with our national security, and everything to do with sucking up to Vladimir Putin,” Blumenthal wrote on X. He also urged Republican colleagues to condemn what he called a “craven, cowardly action”.
Republican Representative Don Bacon said Trump’s decision was “prolonging the war, not ending it”, while Democratic Representative Don Beyer described it as the president’s “latest surrender to Putin”.
Beyer argued that the move ran counter to Congress’s intention behind legislation designed to punish Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. He also warned that Trump could misuse the law’s provisions even though he had temporarily set aside the tariff powers.
“Trump has proven he will twist this law and abuse the powers it conferred on him,” Beyer said, adding that the legislation also empowered the president to use new trade authorities against US allies and trading partners.
California Governor Gavin Newsom also weighed in, responding to a social media post about the decision by suggesting that “someone” was being “paid by Putin”. Democratic Representative Teresa Leger Fernandez went further, calling Trump “Putin’s puppet”.
Why Trump suspended the sanctions
Trump signed the executive order waiving the new sanctions package after telling Congress that suspending the measures was in the national interest. The legislation had been signed into law only the previous month, and the decision came two days before the deadline for implementing the measures.
The law authorised the president to impose tariffs of up to 100% on major purchasers of Russian oil and gas. It was intended to increase pressure on Moscow by targeting countries that continued buying Russian energy and thereby helped sustain its revenues.
The White House did not immediately provide a detailed public explanation of why the suspension served US national interests. The executive order was published on its website late in the evening, accompanied by a notification stating that a report explaining the decision had been submitted to Congress.
Trump’s move followed an agreement with Putin under which Russia would supply diesel in exchange for relief from US sanctions. Critics have questioned whether easing restrictions on Russian energy exports undermines the purpose of the legislation.
The waiver also comes amid Trump’s increasingly critical stance towards Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whom he has blamed for failing to reach an agreement with Putin to end the war.
Under the diesel arrangement announced last week, Trump said Russia would immediately supply more than 300,000 tonnes of diesel. A further 500,000 tonnes would be delivered in November, followed by another one million tonnes “immediately thereafter”.
The agreement has attracted criticism from both Republicans and Democrats, who argue that the deal could help Russia sustain its military campaign against Ukraine without delivering a significant reduction in global fuel prices.
The controversy has also raised questions over the administration’s decision to suspend sanctions shortly before the statutory implementation deadline, particularly after Congress passed the legislation to increase economic pressure on Moscow.