Trump Waives Russia Sanctions to Protect Ukraine Peace Talks

President Donald Trump waived key sanctions and tariffs against Russia late last week, defending the Trump Russia sanctions waiver on Sunday as a necessary step to keep peace negotiations over Ukraine alive. The move, taken just days before the measures were due to take effect, sent oil prices lower and drew sharp reactions from Kyiv, Congress, and Republican allies.

The waiver targets the most aggressive provisions of the Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 — the bipartisan bill sponsored by Senator Lindsey Graham that Trump signed last month. According to reporting on the executive order, the waiver temporarily suspends implementation of tariffs of up to 500 percent on some Russian goods and up to 100 percent tariffs on goods from the five largest importing countries that buy Russian crude oil and natural gas.

Trump said he does not want to take any step that would push Russia away from the negotiating table while his administration is working to end the war in Ukraine.

Trump Defends Waiver as Necessary for Ukraine Peace Talks

In a Truth Social post on Sunday, Trump wrote that he is negotiating peace between Russia and Ukraine and does not want to “unnecessarily remove Russia from the negotiations.” He argued that imposing new economic pressure now could end the talks before they produce a result.

The president also linked the decision to Iran and global energy markets. Trump said Russia is currently doing very little to help Iran, and he wants to maintain that status quo — a point he said new sanctions would jeopardize.

“I am negotiating to establish peace in the Russia-Ukraine war and do not want to take any step that would unnecessarily remove Russia from the negotiations,” Trump wrote, tying the waiver to both the peace talks and what he described as progress in limiting Russian support for Iran.

Zelenskyy Warns the Waiver Will Hurt Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pushed back hard against the decision. Speaking on NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday, Zelenskyy said waiving the sanctions “will hurt Ukraine” and warned that siding with Moscow would be a “historic mistake.”

Trump fired back on Truth Social, accusing Zelenskyy of not wanting to end the war. “Ukraine’s president doesn’t want to end this war, and probably never did,” Trump wrote, according to recaps of his posts.

The exchange came amid one of the most intense stretches of fighting in the war. Russia’s Defence Ministry said it destroyed 1,015 Ukrainian drones overnight Saturday into Sunday — the largest one-night count Moscow has ever published, according to CNN — with fires reported at the Petersburg Oil Terminal and about 20,000 people losing power in the Leningrad region.

Trump also criticized Ukraine’s strikes on Russian diesel refineries, saying they affect fuel supplies and hurt consumers and businesses around the world, including in the United States.

Oil Prices Slide After Sanctions Waiver

The Trump Russia sanctions waiver had an immediate effect on energy markets. Brent crude fell 2.3 percent to $107.36 a barrel in early European trading on Monday, according to Barron’s, while the November WTI futures contract — which expires Tuesday — dropped 1.8 percent to $99.57 a barrel. The December WTI contract declined 2.1 percent to $96.97.

“The retreat reflects changing supply expectations after President Trump announced temporary relief from Russia-related energy sanctions and tariffs, potentially allowing additional Russian diesel exports to reach international markets,” Naeem Aslam of Zaye Capital Markets said, as quoted by Barron’s.

Analysts noted that continued tanker attacks in the Strait of Hormuz and elevated shipping and insurance costs are keeping a floor under prices, limiting how far the decline can go. Iran reported that another tanker had struck a mine in the Strait of Hormuz, even as benchmark crude futures retreated.

Administration Clarifies What the Waiver Does — and Doesn’t Do

Administration officials moved quickly to frame the waiver as limited rather than sweeping. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in an interview on Sunday that “no sanctions have been lifted,” adding that the only measure suspended was the diesel embargo under the new law. All previously imposed U.S. sanctions on Russia remain in force, according to the administration.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Saturday that the president would take up to 60 days to assess the economic impact of the move, according to Reuters. Rubio also denied claims from Kyiv that Washington had paused intelligence sharing with Ukraine, and he said Zelenskyy should be focused on ending the war.

The waiver does not eliminate the underlying sanctions law. The old restrictions remain in force as before, and the suspended provisions could be implemented later if the president allows the waiver to lapse.

Putin Proposes Three-Way Summit With Trump and Xi

Adding another layer to the diplomatic maneuvering, the Wall Street Journal reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed a trilateral summit with Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping to discuss Ukraine. Putin reportedly floated the idea in an Oct. 9 phone call with Trump, with the aim of meeting on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Shenzhen on November 18–19.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that discussions about a potential meeting were taking place, according to the Journal. A summit without Zelenskyy would be unprecedented and would likely alarm European allies, the report noted.

With midterm elections just two weeks away, Trump’s Russia policy has become a growing political headache for Republicans. The Journal reported that some GOP candidates are breaking with the president rather than defending his string of Russia-friendly decisions, as voters question why now is the time to go soft on Moscow.

What Happens Next

The waiver sets up a 60-day window in which the administration will assess the economic impact of the move and the state of the peace negotiations. Secretary Rubio’s timeline suggests a decision on whether to extend the suspension or let the sanctions snap back will land in mid-December.

The central questions are whether the waiver produces progress in the talks Trump says he is pursuing — and whether the political costs at home and abroad outweigh any diplomatic gains.