President Donald Trump defended his decision to waive sweeping sanctions planned against Russia as an effort to keep Moscow at the negotiating table amid strong criticism from Kyiv and some US lawmakers that it sends the wrong message to the Kremlin.
Trump signed an executive order late on October 16 that waives new sanctions mandated by legislation named for the late US senator Lindsey Graham, an ardent supporter of Ukraine, days after giving temporary relief on Russian diesel sanctions.
Trump signed last month at the urging of lawmakers who want to pressure Moscow over its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, launched in February 2022.
But the moves in recent days to ease sanctions have sparked fierce criticism from many corners that Trump was giving the Kremlin a chance to fund its war machine, an accusation the president rejected.
"I am in the process of negotiating Peace in the war between Russia and Ukraine, and don't want to do anything that will drive, foolishly, Russia away from the bargaining table," Trump wrote on Truth Social on October 18.
Trump made ending Russia's war on Ukraine war a priority when he began his current term in January 2025, but Kyiv and Moscow remain far apart in their negotiating positions and talks have stalled.
The Kremlin has been offering no concessions, repeatedly rejecting calls for a full cease-fire, and sticking to demands including Russian control over the territory it has been unable to seize in battle.
The stalemate has seen the two sides step up attacks, with Moscow pummeling Kyiv and other major cities, along with targeting energy infrastructure, wreaking havoc on utilities just as Ukraine prepares for winter.
That included firing several ballistic missiles at Kyiv late on October 18, including a strike on a medical center building, according to Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko, who said at least one person died in the attack.
Ukraine's armed forces, in return, have targeted Russia's refining operations to hinder its military operations.
Those strikes have angered Trump, whose Republican party is engaged in a tight battle for control of both the Senate and House amid surging fuel prices that have angered many voters.
Trump also blamed his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, for the lack of willingness to end Russia's war against his country, claiming that he "doesn't want to end this war, and probably never did."
Zelenskyy warned of dire consequences for Ukraine if US support disappears.
"If the United States will take the side of Russia, of course we will not prevail," Zelenskyy told the NBC news show "Meet the Press" on October 18.
"We want to trust him, and I hope that he will change his decisions...Because I think that it's all mistakes and it will not help us. And it will not help United States."
He added that intelligence-sharing that Ukraine said had been interrupted earlier this week now appears to have been "de-blocked."
"We are very thankful for this," Zelenskyy said. "Now it works."
A week ago, as Trump unilaterally announced an energy cease-fire on social media, Zelenskyy appeared to support halting the strikes but said he expected Moscow to do the same.
However, as Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy sites continued, the Ukrainian president said Kyiv was "done" with unilaterally pausing its own.
There was no indication Moscow had supported cease-fire announced by Trump.
Putin, who Russian media said was visiting a command post earlier in the week, ordered the Russian military to continue its "massive and coordinated" strikes against targets in Ukraine.
Moscow has previously sought to pressure Kyiv into accepting its hard-line demands by attacking the country's energy infrastructure and leaving thousands without heat or electricity amid freezing temperatures.
Trump's easing of sanctions has met with disdain from many lawmakers on both sides of the aisle in the United States, as well as from Ukraine's international partners.
While Trump administration officials including US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent defended the president's actions, Republican lawmaker Don Bacon said moves helping the Kremlin "will go down as a very embarrassing chapter in U.S. history."
Trump's latest comments highlighted the growing tensions between Washington and Kyiv over the administration's approach to Russia. Zelenskyy earlier announced he had held talks with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
He added that Ukraine and the United States were "preparing the next steps in diplomacy" and that his country remained "ready to work constructively, honestly, and toward a real result."
"Peace comes only through strength and cooperation built on trust," Zelenskyy said in a social media post about the talks.
"We are doing everything on our part to make this happen, and to ensure that America’s position is strong and helps bring peace closer. Peace that everyone, except Russia, has been waiting for over the past four and a half years."
