Republicans and Democrats both call the Russia sanctions waiver irresponsible as Zelensky says Putin feels joy

Top Republicans and Democrats alike lined up on Saturday to condemn President Trump’s decision to waive recent sanctions on Russia, calling it “irresponsible” and “a deal with the devil”¹. Politico reported that the decision has left some of the party’s longest-standing Russia hawks at odds with the president². The order, signed late on Friday night, waives implementation of the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, which Trump himself signed in September¹. ABC News reported it was the second time in as many weeks that he has waived sanctions on Russia⁸.

Axios noted that Trump already faces a bipartisan effort to overturn his Russian diesel deal when Congress returns after the election, and that he may now face broader anger over sanctions the legislature approved only a month ago¹.

Why it matters to investors

The waived act would have imposed sanctions not only on Russia but on other countries buying its energy¹. It included secondary sanctions on foreign financial institutions conducting significant transactions, and measures targeting Russia’s shadow fleet⁶. One account of the law says Article 113 allows secondary sanctions of up to 100% on the five leading importers of Russian oil and gas⁷. For refiners, shippers and banks in India, China and Turkey, the waiver removes a near-term compliance cliff, and the bipartisan backlash is what determines whether that relief holds.

Ukraine’s president rejected the move. Volodymyr Zelensky said on 17 October that Trump was “wrong” to further block sanctions against Russia, and that Putin “feels joy” at the decision³. The Telegraph reported Zelensky’s argument that blocking the sanctions only rewards and encourages Putin⁵. Kyiv Post noted the remarks came roughly 24 hours after the order was signed on Friday⁴.

What to watch

Whether the Russia hawks who criticised the waiver, several of them retiring and therefore harder to pressure, convert the objection into a vote when Congress returns^1,2. Watch also whether the administration uses the same authority a third time, since the pattern of successive waivers is now established⁸. The practical test for energy markets is whether buyers of Russian crude and diesel treat the waiver as durable policy or as a reprieve that could be reversed before the statutory provisions bite^6,7.