Trump Halts Russia Sanctions; Zelensky Pushes to Revive Them — SkimNews
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- Trump signed an executive order pausing the sweeping Russia sanctions under the Lindsey Graham Act, just two days before the law's own implementation deadline, having personally signed the bill into law only last month.
- Zelensky urged supporters to speak out to revive the sanctions, writing that the law 'could have helped enormously — and still can,' while avoiding direct criticism of Trump.
- Senator Richard Blumenthal, who co-drafted the Graham Act, accused Trump of 'sucking up to Vladimir Putin' and turning his back on Congress and European allies.
- The pause follows Trump's announcement one week earlier that the U.S. would purchase Russian diesel—reportedly 1.8 million tons across three shipments—drawing bipartisan criticism that it directly funds Russia's war effort.
- Russia launched what Zelensky called a 'massive' overnight strike on more than 15 Ukrainian energy sites, deploying 4 cruise missiles and 332 attack drones, killing at least 4 people including an ambulance driver.
- Ukraine retaliated with drone strikes that killed a woman in Russia's Belgorod region, grounded more than 350 flights at Moscow's airports, and were met by Russian claims of 610 drones shot down overnight over 15 regions.
Why it matters: The timing cuts hard: Trump signed his own legislation last month, then waived it 48 hours before it took effect—handing Moscow a tangible concession while Russia accelerates its annual winter energy campaign aimed at breaking Ukrainian civilian morale. Zelensky loses a key financial pressure tool against Russia at the worst possible moment, and the pause dovetails with Trump's separate deal to buy Russian diesel that critics say funnels resources directly to the war effort.
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