Trump says suspension of Russia sanctions is to keep peace negotiations going

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on his Truth Social platform that he has suspended several Russian sanctions as part of his efforts to maintain peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. The president stated that he did not want to take actions that might push Russia away from the bargaining table during ongoing negotiations. Trump had previously blocked numerous sanctions on Russia two days before they were set to take effect, amid a growing dispute with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Ukrainian President Zelensky criticized Trump's move, stating that siding with Russian President Vladimir Putin would be a historic mistake. Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev responded positively to Trump's decision, calling it an important and truly historic moment, while warning that the sanctions would have inflicted serious damage on both the US and global markets.

Trump also claimed in his post that Zelensky didn't want to end the war, and probably never did, suggesting that he could have negotiated a better deal two years ago than he could now. However, Zelensky has consistently advocated for an end to the conflict, accusing Russia's President Vladimir Putin of lacking a desire for peace since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Tensions between Washington and Kyiv escalated after the US agreed to import Russian diesel last week, a move that Ukraine accused the Trump administration of withdrawing essential military support. In response, Zelensky declared it a privilege to be among real leaders while addressing a European Union summit, following Trump's remarks that Zelensky was more challenging to work with than Putin.