Trump Waives Russia Sanctions Despite Bipartisan Congressional Push

The legislation, named for the late Republican South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, would have imposed tariffs of up to 100 percent on goods from the five largest importers of Russian crude oil or gas.

Senator Darline Graham, Lindsey Graham’s sister, was appointed to serve out the remaining months of his term; she now runs to replace him in the Senate more permanently.

Donald Trump announced he submitted a certification to Congress, stating the waiver serves the national interest of the United States. "I have submitted to the Congress a certification that the issuance of such a waiver at this time is in the national interests of the United States," Trump stated.

The Trump administration previously agreed to buy diesel from Russia to lower global energy prices. This decision prompted a dozen US senators, including six Republicans, to call on Trump to rescind his diesel deal.

Following criticism of his decision to import Russian diesel, Trump called for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to be removed from office. Russian airstrikes continue to target energy facilities across Ukraine.

Ukraine was blindsided Wednesday when Starshield, the military-grade version of Starlink, began experiencing signal failures at speeds above 160kph. The order to limit the satellite system used by Ukraine reportedly came from inside the White House, according to two US officials and a Western official briefed on the matter.

Kirill Dmitriev described the Trump administration’s suspension of the Graham Act as "an important and truly historic moment." Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claims the lifting of sanctions will continue, with the 'diesel deal' being the first step.

Zelenskyy further claims this cannot stop Putin; on the contrary, he feels joy and happiness that he has such support.