Ukraine-Russia war latest: Trump orders last-minute stay on Russian sanctions and refuses to blame Putin for war
US president Donald Trump has signed an executive order that puts on hold a sweeping new sanctions package targeting the Russian economy, telling Congress the pause was in the “national interest”.
Trump personally approved the legislation just last month, and his move to block it came just two days before a deadline set in the law itself for its implementation. Named after late South Carolina senator Lindsey Graham, it had sought to clamp down more quickly on the flow of financial resources fuelling the war against Ukraine.
Trump’s unexpected decision comes a week after he stunningly said the US had agreed to purchase diesel from Russia to try to bring down global energy prices, despite that potentially hurting Ukraine in its war with Russia.
The US president also refused to say Russia’s president Vladimir Putin was responsible for starting the war. When asked by reporters whether he had forgotten that it was Putin who invaded Russia’s European neighbour, he suggested it was not that straightforward.
He said: “I know the details, OK, and at some point I’ll release the details. But I don’t care about anything except for one. I want that war ended.”
