President Donald Trump has dealt another blow to Ukraine by exempting Russia from sweeping new sanctions foreseen in legislation recently passed by Congress, a move that left Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky openly saying he feels “betrayed.”
The decision strikes at a bill of enormous symbolic weight: the Graham Act, the first major congressional action against Moscow since Trump returned to power.
A Decree Invoking ‘National Interest’
“I hereby exempt the application of such sanctions, restrictions and tariffs provided for in the Graham Act,” states an executive order published by the White House, citing “the national interest of the United States.”
The news was immediately welcomed in Russia. “The suspension of the Graham law by the Trump administration is an important and truly historic moment,” Kirill Dmitriev, the Kremlin’s envoy for international economic cooperation, wrote on social media.
Legislation Designed to Hit Russia Economically
Trump had signed the Graham Act into law in mid-September. The legislative arsenal targets Russia’s energy sector in particular. It was designed to go after Russia’s so-called shadow fleet for the first time and also targeted President Vladimir Putin and other senior Russian officials.
Crucially, it gave Trump the power to impose tariffs of up to 100% on the five largest importers of Russian gas and oil, among them China and India.
The law bears the name of its chief champion, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who died in July and was a staunch defender of Ukraine and a fierce critic of Russia and Iran. It was strongly backed by Zelensky, who hailed its enactment as “an extremely powerful tool capable of putting an end to this terrorist war and pushing Russia toward peace.”
Relations With Ukraine Under Strain
Since the law was signed, however, the already difficult relationship between the American and Ukrainian presidents has entered a new crisis. In early October, Trump announced he had reached an agreement with Putin involving the lifting of sanctions to allow the United States to import large quantities of Russian diesel.
Since then, Kyiv has complained that it was not warned by its allies of imminent Russian attacks. Ukraine has specifically lamented restrictions on the use of Starshield, the military variant of the Starlink satellite system deployed by Elon Musk’s SpaceX. The service is essential for Ukrainian forces to communicate on the front line and intercept drones.
Asked about the issue on Friday, Trump declined any responsibility. “It wasn’t me. And I don’t think it was Elon,” he said during an exchange with reporters at the White House. Musk said Wednesday that any slowdown of Starshield in Ukraine was the work of the U.S. government, not his company SpaceX.
- Trump exempted Russia from major sanctions under the Graham Act, citing U.S. national interests.
- The law would have targeted Russia’s energy sector, shadow fleet and top officials, with tariffs of up to 100% on major buyers of Russian oil and gas.
- Zelensky says he feels “betrayed”; the Kremlin calls the move “truly historic.”
- Kyiv also reports restrictions on Starshield, the military satellite service vital for frontline communications.
