RUSSIA SANCTIONS WAIVED: Trump Eases Restrictions on Moscow Despite Congress Outrage...

The Trump administration has suspended multiple Russia sanctions just before their implementation, escalating tensions with Ukraine's government and drawing sharp rebuke from US lawmakers. The sanctions package, passed by Congress and signed into law this September, included aggressive measures targeting Russia's oil and gas trade with potential tariffs up to 100% on major purchasers like China and India, along with penalties on Russian financial institutions and the country's alternative shipping networks used to evade existing embargoes. The move coincides with a public rift between Trump and President Zelensky, rooted in the US decision to temporarily ease sanctions to facilitate Russian diesel imports aimed at lowering American energy costs. Ukraine has opposed these concessions, viewing them as undercutting pressure on Russia's war economy. The dispute intensified after Kyiv resumed strikes on Russian energy infrastructure despite Trump's claim of an agreed "energy ceasefire," prompting the US president to condemn the action while Zelensky defended it as necessary to protect Ukrainian interests.