Hours after President Donald Trump signed an executive order pausing a sweeping package of sanctions on the Russian economy, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked supporters on Saturday to speak out in defense of the measures.
In a post on social media, Zelenskyy called the decision unfortunate but did not directly criticize Trump, despite deepening tensions between Kyiv and Washington in recent days. “A decision was unfortunately made in America to completely disregard the Lindsey Graham Act, which was supposed to impose truly effective pressure on Russia to bring this war to an end,” he wrote.
In audio clips answering journalists, he thanked Democrats and Republicans who backed the legislation. He said blocking it would encourage Russia to keep killing and would do nothing to end the war. Limiting Ukraine’s ability to retaliate would not bring peace either, he added. “Nevertheless, we very much hope, and I personally hope, that the president of the United States of America will do everything possible to make Putin stop the killing, stop the attacks on our energy infrastructure, and end this war,” he said.
What the law covered
The act is named after the late South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham. It aimed to cut faster into the money feeding Russia’s 4 1/2-year-old war, with sanctions on Russian officials, banks and the shadow fleet of tankers that keeps Russian energy moving. Trump signed it himself last month. His pause came two days before a deadline in the law for its implementation, and he told Congress it was in the national interest without giving details.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, who co-drafted the bill, said Trump was turning his back on “the majority of Americans, their representatives in both houses of Congress, and our European allies.” He added: “These waivers have nothing to do with our national security, and everything to do with sucking up to Vladimir Putin.”
A week earlier Trump had said the United States agreed to buy diesel from Russia to bring down global energy prices. He said Russia would supply more than 300,000 tons immediately, then 500,000 tons in November and 1 million tons “immediately thereafter.” Republicans and Democrats alike criticized the deal, saying it will help Russia wage war without changing global fuel prices, which are elevated mostly because of Trump’s war on Iran.
A fresh strike on the grid
Zelenskyy said Moscow had carried out a massive strike on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, hitting more than 15 sites. Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched four cruise missiles and 332 attack drones overnight. All the missiles and 289 of the drones were suppressed or destroyed.
Attacks killed at least four people, including an ambulance driver in the Kherson region, where guided bombs wounded at least 33 others, according to regional chief Yaroslav Shanko. In Sloviansk, three people died and two apartment blocks were partly destroyed, said Vadym Liakh, head of the city military administration.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense said it shot down 610 Ukrainian drones over 15 Russian regions, Crimea and the Black Sea. A woman was killed in Belgorod. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said more than 100 drones were downed on their way to the capital, and local media reported more than 350 flights canceled or delayed at Moscow’s airports.
