Trump suspends Russia sanctions for 60 days as Zelensky row deepens

US President Donald Trump says his decision to suspend several Russia sanctions is an effort to keep Moscow at the negotiating table, as a row with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky deepens, the BBC reported.

“I am in the process of negotiating Peace in the war between Russia and Ukraine,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, adding that he did not want to “do anything that will drive, foolishly, Russia away from the bargaining table”.

What Trump did

Trump blocked numerous sanctions on Russia on Friday night, two days before they were due to take effect. The sanctions had been passed by the US Congress and signed into law by Trump in September. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the suspension as a 60-day pause during which their potential impact on the US and global economies would be analysed.

Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev welcomed the order, calling it “an important and truly historic moment”. He said the sanctions would have inflicted “serious damage” on the US and global markets.

In his post, Trump also said Zelensky “doesn’t want to end this war, and probably never did”, adding that he “could have made a better deal two years ago than he can now”. Zelensky has pushed for an end to the fighting and has repeatedly said Russian President Vladimir Putin does not want peace.

Zelensky’s response

In an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press” published on Sunday, Zelensky said that siding with Putin would be a “historic mistake”. After the latest US move, he said, he believed the Trump administration would lift more sanctions on Russia.

He also said he was “thankful” that the US had resumed intelligence sharing after a pause. “It was blocked for some period of time. And then it was deblocked by the American side. We are very thankful for this. Now it works,” he said. “Only (the) United States has this unique intelligence to tell our side when Russia uses ballistic missiles. And we didn’t get it during ballistic attacks during three days.” The Trump administration has denied that it stopped sharing defence intelligence.

Fraying ties

Relations between Washington and Kyiv have frayed since the US struck a controversial deal last week to import Russian diesel, which Ukraine and its European allies criticised. The deal was meant to help lower US energy prices, which have risen sharply during the Iran war. Zelensky said it was tantamount to the US investing in Russia’s war effort. After Trump said Zelensky was “more difficult to deal with” than Putin, Zelensky told an EU leaders’ summit in Brussels that it was nice to be among “real leaders”.

Concerns that Washington is siding with Moscow have also been fed by disruption to Starlink, the US-provided satellite service Ukraine relies on for battlefield communications. Zelensky said he believed the slowdown was “a message from American government to limit the speed. And technically, SpaceX did it.” He said US officials had linked the speed limits to technical issues, but that Ukraine had tested Starlink on EU territory and found it running at higher speeds. Trump has denied deliberately slowing the network.

Where Russian oil goes

Despite sanctions, Russia has still exported oil, much of it at attractive discounts. According to the think-tank Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, China has taken about half of Russia’s crude exports, with India accounting for about 37 per cent.

Why it matters

The 60-day pause gives Moscow breathing room while the US reviews the economic effect of tougher measures, and it comes as Kyiv says its own support from Washington has been uneven. For the countries that buy Russian oil, including India, the decision removes the threat of new penalties for now. The next two months will show whether the pause produces progress in the talks that Trump says he is pursuing. Read our earlier reports on Ukraine accusing the US over Starlink curbs and on Trump’s call for a new Ukrainian president.

This article draws on reporting by the BBC and The Express Tribune.