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Trump puts new Russia sanctions that he recently signed into law on hold, citing national interest · Best of: Features

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  Trump puts new Russia sanctions that he recently signed into law on
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  hold citing national interest. This
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  article is being read by an automated voice generated by Everlett. Washington,
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  the AP. President Donald Trump on Friday signed an executive order that
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  puts on hold a sweeping new sanctions package targeting the Russian economy,
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  telling Congress the pause was in the national interest. Trump personally signed
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  the legislation just last month and his more came just too, days
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  before a deadline set in the law itself itself for its implementation.
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  It drew shift condemnation from congressional Democrats. Named after late South Carolina
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  Senator Lindsey Graham, the legislation had sought to clamp down more quickly
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  on the flow of financial resources fueling the war against Ukraine. Trump's
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  unexpected decision comes a week after he stunningly said the US had
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  agreed to purchase diesel from Russia to try to bring down global
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  energy prices. Despite that potentially hurting Ukraine in its war with Russia.
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  And the A. P. Nork Center for Public Affairs research poll, published
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  October first, found that Americans disapprove of the President's handling of the
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  Iran War and blame him for higher prices. Trump's approval ratings have
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  sunk to near historic lows and pressure is mounting, as Republicans try
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  to hold control of both chambers of Congress after midterm elections on
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  November third. Sanctions were seen as part of Graham's legacy, but Graham,
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  a close ally and friend of the President, had just returned from
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  Ukraine when he unexpectedly died in July. He had advocated for stricter
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  US sanctions against Russia as a way of pressuring it to end
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  its war in Ukraine. His colleagues in Congress responded with bipartisan support
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  after his death, and Trump attached his signature to the legislation, then
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  changed his mind Friday. The package had been meant to starve Russian
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  President Vladimir Putin of the resources. Moscow needs to continue its war
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  in Ukraine, after invading its neighbor more than four years ago. The
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  bill, also drafted by Senator Richard Blumenthal, DCON, had sought to sanction
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  Russian officials, banks, and a shadow fleet of tankers that keeps Russian
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  energy moving. It also directed Trump to impose up to one hundred
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  percent tariffs on the top five importers of Russian oil or natural
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  gas, with an exception for countries that import less than fifteen percent
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  of Russia's natural gas exports, and have taken significant steps to reduce
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  those imports. Blumenthal said in a statement that Trump was turning his
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  back on the majority of Americans, their representatives in both houses of
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  Congress, and our European allies. These waivers have nothing to do with
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  our national security, and everything to do with sucking up to Vladimir
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  Putin, Blumenthal said. Democratic Virginia Representative Don Bayer noted on social
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  media shortly after The
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  announcement of the sanctions being suspended that he and others had warned
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  Trump might make such a move. The veteran congressman, who spoke out
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  against the bill as it was debated, called on Congress.
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  To fix this flawed law, to stop Trump from capitulating to Putin,
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  and ensure that it truly supports Ukraine. The White House did not
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  immediately explain how pausing The sanctions was in the national interest. The
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  decision was posted on the White House website late in the evening,
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  and the notification noted that the report explaining the decision had been
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  submitted to Congress. Still, it comes as Trump has increasingly lashed out
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  at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, blaming him for failing to make a
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  deal with Putin to end the fighting. The Trump administration, meanwhile, had
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  remained mostly quiet since the passage of the bill with large majorities
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  in the House and Senate, following Graham's sudden death, with lawmakers urged
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  ahead by Zelensky. Trump's action follows announced diesel deal with Putin. Under
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  last week's agreement, Trump said Russia would immediately supply more that three
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  hundred thousand tons of diesel, followed by an additional five hundred thousand
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  tons in November and one million tons immediately thereafter. Trump striking a
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  diesel deal with Putin has been pilloried by Republicans and Democrats alike,
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  who say it will help Russia execute its war against Ukraine, without
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  making a different to global fuel prices, which are elevated mostly due
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  to Trump's war on Iran. The sanctions that Trump has now suspended,
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  meanwhile, also had become a campaign centerpiece for Senator Darline Graham, the
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  late Senator's sister who was appointed to serve out the remaining months
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  in his current term. She is now running to replace him in
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  the Senate more permanently. Darline Graham said in a statement after Trump
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  signed the bill, I wish Lindsay were here to celebrate this historic
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  day. In a debate earlier this week with Democratic nominee Annie Andrews,
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  Graham, who has Trump's endorsement and is expected to campaign with him
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  in South Carolina next week, said she had been so proud to
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  help get the measure passed. She acknowledged, however, that it was the
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  President's purview as to how he implemented it. It gives the President
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  tools that he can use if he so chooses to end the
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  war through economic sanctions, Graham said Sunday during a debate in Colombia.
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  So that's up to him as to whether or not he wants
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  to use it or whether he wants to use something else. But
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  I think the purpose of it is to bring down the gas
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  prices and ultimately end the war. And when the war ends, gas
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  prices will fall.