Trump pauses new Russia sanctions days before deadline

The pause was enacted two days before the law‑mandated implementation deadline and follows Trump’s earlier comments on Russian diesel and Ukraine leadership.

By Felo News Desk · Published Sat, 17 Oct 2026 14:12:25 GMT

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Oct. 17 that temporarily halts a sweeping sanctions package aimed at the Russian economy, saying the pause serves the United States’ “national interest,” according to both the Independent and the Evening Standard.

What happened

The order was signed late on Friday, Oct. 17, just two days before the deadline set in the Lindsey Graham‑named sanctions law for the measures to take effect. The executive action blocks the enforcement of a raft of new sanctions that Trump had previously endorsed, including restrictions on Russian finance, energy and defense sectors.

What the reports add

The Independent reported that the pause came after Trump had approved the legislation a month earlier and that it arrived a week after he said the United States had agreed to purchase Russian diesel to lower global energy prices. The Evening Standard added that the move is part of a broader deterioration in U.S.–Ukraine relations, noting Trump’s earlier agreement to lift diesel sanctions earlier in the month and his suggestion that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky should be replaced, describing him as “more difficult to deal with than Putin.” Both outlets said Trump refused to acknowledge Putin as the war’s initiator.

What was said

Trump told reporters, as quoted by the Independent, that he “knows the details” of the sanctions pause and that his only concern is ending the war. The Evening Standard reported that Trump claimed the decision was in America’s “national interests” and that he suggested Zelensky was “more difficult to deal with than Putin.”

How it came about

Earlier in September, Trump signed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, a bipartisan bill that would impose tariffs on major Russian oil importers and expand sanctions on Russia’s energy and defense sectors (Felo coverage). The new executive pause delays the enforcement of those provisions. The move follows Trump’s public statements earlier in October about buying Russian diesel to curb fuel prices and his criticism of Ukrainian leadership, which have raised concerns about U.S. intelligence sharing with Kyiv and the temporary restriction of Elon Musk’s Starlink service for Ukrainian forces. Starlink access has since been restored, according to the Evening Standard.

Key facts

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Oct. 17 that pauses a new sanctions package targeting Russia. (independent.co.uk)
The pause was enacted two days before the law‑mandated implementation deadline for the sanctions. (independent.co.uk)
Trump said the pause serves the United States’ national interest. (standard.co.uk)
Trump previously agreed to lift sanctions on Russian diesel earlier in October. (standard.co.uk)
Access to Elon Musk’s Starlink for Ukraine was temporarily restricted but later restored. (standard.co.uk)