Congress criticizes Trump’s order lifting sanctions on Russia

Congress members on Thursday blasted President Donald Trump’s executive order that lifts sweeping economic sanctions on Russia, saying the move undermines U.S. support for Ukraine and contradicts a bipartisan sanctions law passed last year. The order, signed late Friday, removes the restrictions that had barred most trade and financial activity with Moscow and was announced after Trump sealed a diesel‑fuel deal with the Russian government.

The exemption comes amid a surge of Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian cities, including Moscow and St. Petersburg, and a heated domestic debate over rising energy costs. Trump has framed the waiver as a national‑security measure aimed at curbing diesel prices that are topping voters’ concerns in the final stretch of the 2024 midterm elections. Analysts at the International Energy Agency, however, warned that the diesel sale is unlikely to dent global fuel prices, and that the sanctions relief is more about political signaling than economic impact.

Democratic and Republican lawmakers alike expressed alarm. Several members cited the original sanctions bill, which explicitly gave the president the authority to temporarily waive sanctions only in emergencies, arguing that Trump’s justification does not meet that threshold. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, speaking on “Meet the Press,” called the exemption a “historic mistake” and a “tragedy” that could embolden Russia’s war effort. The White House, for its part, claimed that Russian energy attacks on Ukraine are driving fuel costs higher, and that easing sanctions is the only lever left to protect American consumers.

The next steps are unclear. Critics say Congress may seek to reinstate the sanctions through new legislation or a vote to overturn the waiver, while the administration appears prepared to defend the order as a temporary measure tied to energy security. The dispute highlights the broader clash between foreign‑policy objectives and domestic political pressures as the United States heads toward the November elections.