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Vietnam editionThe Hill, Newsweek and RFE/RL reported that Trump posted on Truth Social on Oct. 18 that he did not want to drive Russia away from the bargaining table. He said progress was being made, including in hostage negotiations, and RFE/RL said he gave no details. RFE/RL reported the waiver came through an Oct. 16 executive order setting aside penalties required by legislation named for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham. On Oct. 9, OFAC issued General License 135 allowing Russian-origin diesel sales and imports through April 2027, Deccan Herald reported. Trump said Russia would supply more than 300,000 metric tons at once; the Kremlin gave no figures. Axios reported that Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Secretary of State Marco Rubio gave different explanations of the diesel deal.
Sanctions are one of the few levers Washington holds over Moscow without sending troops, so setting them aside changes the terms of any peace talks. The diesel license also ties U.S. fuel prices to Russian supply weeks before the midterms, which mixes energy policy with foreign policy.
If you buy diesel or pay for trucked goods, the White House is betting this deal lowers prices; analysts quoted by several outlets doubt the volumes are big enough to move them much. If you follow Ukraine, the waiver means fewer new costs for Russia while talks continue.
Supporters, including the president and Wright, argue that keeping Russia at the table and adding fuel supply serves both peace and household budgets. In their view, new penalties now would only harden Moscow's position and could push it closer to Iran.
Critics, including Republicans who backed the sanctions bill and Zelenskyy, say pressure is what brings Russia to negotiate, and easing it rewards the invasion. Rubio's remark that Russia would sell the fuel anyway undercut the idea that the diesel deal is a concession from Moscow.
What is confirmed: the Oct. 16 waiver, the diesel license running to April 2027 and Trump's Sunday defense. What is not: who the hostages are, and whether Russia will deliver the volumes Trump named. Watch whether Congress moves to force the sanctions and whether the White House answers the 22 House members.
The Hill (GOP lawmakers bash the waiver, Oct. 17; Sunday defense, Oct. 18) · Axios (waiver "in the national interest," Oct. 17) · The New York Times (Graham breaks with Trump, Oct. 17) · Newsweek (Republican criticism, Oct. 18) · Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (Truth Social post, Oct. 18) · NBC News (Zelenskyy's warning, Oct. 18)
Trump defends waiving new Russia sanctions, saying it keeps Moscow at the negotiating tableTrump defends waiving new Russia sanctions, saying it keeps Moscow at the negotiating table
In a Sunday post, the president said enforcing the sanctions could derail Ukraine talks and hinted at progress on hostages, as Republicans in Congress pushed back.
President Trump on Sunday defended his decision to waive a new round of sanctions on Russia, The Hill, Newsweek and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported. Writing on Truth Social on Oct. 18, he said he was negotiating peace between Russia and Ukraine and did not want to do anything that would "foolishly" drive Moscow away from the bargaining table, according to The Hill. He added that "great progress" was being made, including in "current hostage negotiations," but RFE/RL noted that he gave no details and did not say who the hostages were. The New York Times described the move as a reversal of almost five years of sanctions policy toward Russia. According to RFE/RL, the waiver came through an executive order signed Oct. 16 that sets aside new penalties required by legislation named for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham. The outlet also reported that Trump said he could still sign them later, but did not want to antagonize Moscow because he believes Russia might otherwise step up its support for Iran.
The weekend defense came after a separate step on Russian fuel. On Oct. 9, the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control issued General License 135, which allows the sale and import of Russian-origin diesel through April 2027, Deccan Herald and Spectrum News reported. Trump said Vladimir Putin had agreed to supply more than 300,000 metric tons right away, then 500,000 tons in November and 1 million tons after that. Those volumes came only from Trump's announcement, and the Kremlin published no figures of its own. Axios reported that Energy Secretary Chris Wright presented the diesel deal as an incentive for peace, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Russia would sell the fuel anyway. Newsweek said the waiver drew criticism from Republicans who had backed the sanctions bill. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the package "could have helped enormously," RFE/RL reported, and NBC News quoted him as warning that the U.S. formally taking Putin's side would be a "historic mistake." A group of 22 House members had asked the White House to cancel the diesel deal and answer them in writing by Oct. 18, according to Ukrainian outlet LIGA.net.