Zelensky and Republican lawmakers rebuke Trump over waiver of Russia sanctions

WASHINGTON — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and a growing number of Republican lawmakers pushed back Saturday against President Donald Trump’s decision to waive most of the sanctions and tariffs that Congress passed against buyers of Russian oil, opening a rare split inside the president’s own party.

Trump issued an executive order Friday shelving the penalties days before they were set to take effect under the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, a law he signed in mid-September. “I have submitted to the Congress a certification that the issuance of such a waiver at this time is in the national interests of the United States,” the order said. It did not explain why the waiver served the national interest, and said it would stay in effect until the administration decides “further action is appropriate.”

The law would have imposed tariffs of up to 100% on goods imported into the United States from the five largest buyers of Russian crude oil or gas, a bid to cut off revenue that funds Moscow’s war in Ukraine. Its main backer was the late Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who died in July.

Zelensky condemned the move in a social media post Saturday, as Russia carried out what he described as one of its largest attacks on Ukraine’s energy sector. “At a time when the Russians have carried out such a massive attack on our energy sector, a decision was unfortunately made in America to completely disregard the Lindsey Graham Act, which was supposed to impose truly effective pressure on Russia to bring this war to an end,” he wrote. He added that the act “could have helped enormously — and still can! But it needs to actually work.”

A Republican split

Graham’s sister, Sen. Darline Graham of South Carolina, who was appointed to his seat after his death, said Saturday she disagreed with the president’s decision. “The president and I share the same goal, which is to end the war, get gas and diesel prices down. And the sanctions bill is one of the tools he can use to do that,” she said. “I would choose to keep the pressure on Russia to end the war and get the gas prices down because I don’t trust Putin and I don’t trust Russia.”

Outgoing Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina called the waiver “beyond irresponsible” on Saturday, criticizing Trump for what he called “capitulating to a Russian dictator who illegally invaded Ukraine and butchers innocent civilians every single day.” Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska wrote on X that Trump “is prolonging the war, not ending it.” Rep. French Hill of Arkansas said he had requested a classified briefing on the rationale behind the decision, posting: “We should be increasing economic pressure on Russia, not easing up.” Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas urged the president to reverse course and return to the principle that “lasting peace is secured through strength — not accommodation.”

Democrats also condemned the order. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts called it an “abject and predictable failure in leadership.” Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, who helped draft the legislation, said on X: “These waivers have nothing to do with our national security, and everything to do with sucking up to Vladimir Putin.” Russia welcomed the decision. Kirill Dmitriev, head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, hailed the waiver in a post on X as “an important and truly historic moment.”

The waiver follows Trump’s deal to allow Russian diesel exports to world markets, a move that drew bipartisan criticism when it was announced last week.

Strained ties with Kyiv

Zelensky said Saturday that negotiators from the two countries spoke on Friday and could meet next week, with details still being worked out. But the past week has been marked by open friction: Trump told Newsmax on Thursday that “I find Zelensky to be more difficult to deal with than Putin,” and Zelensky said earlier in the week that his government received “no early warning” before a deadly Russian missile strike hit a power plant in Kyiv.

Zelensky also said his government had been caught off guard by restrictions on the military-grade version of Starlink, Elon Musk’s satellite internet service, which he said disrupted Ukraine’s drone missions and early-warning systems. Trump has said the United States did not stop sharing intelligence with Ukraine. CNN also reported that Kyiv has run out of missiles for its U.S.-made Patriot air defense systems, the interceptors that can knock down ballistic missiles.

Meanwhile, European Union leaders said they were preparing a 22nd package of sanctions against Russia and would strengthen penalties unless Russian President Vladimir Putin stops the war.

Reporting based on coverage by CNN and Reuters.