Trump suspends some Russia sanctions, saying it keeps peace talks alive
US President Donald Trump says suspending several sanctions on Russia is meant to keep Moscow at the negotiating table. The move comes as his dispute with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky deepens.
US President Donald Trump has suspended several sanctions on Russia two days before they were due to take effect, saying the aim is to keep Moscow engaged in talks to end the war in Ukraine. The decision comes as relations between Washington and Kyiv grow more strained.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said he was negotiating peace between Russia and Ukraine and did not want to "foolishly" drive Russia away from the bargaining table. He also claimed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky "doesn't want to end this war, and probably never did", adding that Ukraine could have secured a better deal two years ago than it can now.
Reactions from Kyiv and Moscow
Zelensky told NBC News on Sunday that siding with Russian President Vladimir Putin would be a "historic mistake". The Ukrainian leader has pushed for an end to the fighting and has repeatedly said Putin does not want peace. Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev called Trump's order "an important and truly historic moment". He said the sanctions would have caused "serious damage" to the US and the global market.
Strained US-Ukraine relations
Ties between Washington and Kyiv have frayed since the US struck a controversial deal last week to import Russian diesel. Ukraine has accused the Trump administration of withdrawing key military support.
Addressing a European Union summit, Zelensky said it was nice to be among "real leaders". This followed Trump's remark that Zelensky was "more difficult to deal with" than Putin.
