US Defends Russia Sanctions Waiver Amid Deepening Rift with Ukraine's Zelenskyy

Top officials from the administration of US President Donald Trump on Sunday defended a recent decision to waive sanctions on Russian diesel, a move that has coincided with a further souring of relations between Washington and Ukraine.

President Trump signed an executive order on Friday to waive key provisions of a recently enacted sanctions package against Russia, stating that the waiver was in the US's "national interests." This order exempted the US from raising duties on Russian goods by up to 500% and from imposing tariffs of up to 100% on China, India, and other major buyers of Russian energy. The directive was issued just two days before the legal deadline for implementation and followed President Trump's earlier decision to lift sanctions on Russian diesel, a move that had already faced opposition from Europe and members of his own Republican party.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent explained that the administration utilized the law's 60-day pause provision to "see what's going on," clarifying that only the diesel embargo had been lifted. As part of the diesel agreement, Russia committed to supplying 300,000 tonnes of diesel to US and global markets immediately, with an additional 500,000 tonnes in November and a further 1 million tonnes shortly thereafter. This decision was swiftly criticized by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who argued it would aid Russia's war efforts.

The Kremlin confirmed on Thursday that Russian diesel had begun reaching global markets following the agreement with President Trump. Energy Secretary Chris Wright told ABC that the waiver does not provide Russia with an "economic lifeline" and dismissed the backlash, stating, "They are all wrong. They don't understand what President Trump's doing." Wright elaborated that the waiver serves as an incentive for Russia: if they reduce the conflict with Ukraine, they could receive an "energy ceasefire" or a reduction in conflict that would allow diesel exports to flow to world markets, describing it as a "carrot to try to end a war."

The Trump administration's objective is to lower US diesel prices, which had surpassed $6 per gallon in recent weeks, ahead of the midterm elections on November 3. Secretary Wright acknowledged the potential for short-term political challenges but framed it as "leadership," emphasizing President Trump's desire to bring peace and reduce energy prices.

However, President Zelenskyy deemed the diesel deals "dangerous" and asserted they have no significant impact on US energy prices, attributing the recent energy price shock to the prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz. He also informed NBC that he believes the US government was responsible for a recent slowdown in US-provided Starlink internet services, suggesting it was a "message from [the] American government." Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine experienced a period of being "blocked" from US intelligence, during which Russian attacks were not observed, before being "deblocked by the American side." The US has denied ordering restrictions on Starlink services to Ukraine.

Secretary Bessent responded to President Zelenskyy's claims, urging him to "be very careful about making statements like this that aren't true." Bessent appeared to evade a direct answer on whether Ukraine remains a US ally, stating, "President Trump has made it clear that he wants to end this war; that it must stop. And President Zelenskyy presented a false binary this morning that Ukraine must win." He reiterated that "the war must end, and that will be with some kind of a negotiated settlement. And President Trump is working on that every day." Bessent also affirmed that the US supports Ukraine through intelligence provision, the Starlink service, and by permitting NATO to purchase US arms for resale to Ukraine, explicitly stating, "We're not providing those to Russia." When pressed a third time about Ukraine's ally status, Bessent deferred, stating, "I'm not the Secretary of State. I'm not the President."