{
  "id": 15525503,
  "title": "Trump defends Russia sanctions waiver, accuses Zelenskyy of prolonging war",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/19/trump-defends-russia-sanctions-waiver-accuses-zelenskyy-of-prolonging",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-19T00:36:43.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Straits Times",
    "slug": "new-straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.nst.com.my/world/world/2026/10/1558609/trump-defends-russia-sanctions-waiver-accuses-zelenskyy-prolonging-war"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "US President Donald Trump defended his recent decision to waive sanctions on Russia, accusing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of prolonging the war. In a post on Truth Social, Trump stated that his goal is to negotiate peace in the Russia-Ukraine conflict without driving Russia away from the bargaining table. The sanctions waiver, signed late Friday, temporarily lifted broad sanctions mandated by legislation named after Senator Lindsey Graham. Trump also temporarily waived sanctions on Russian diesel, aiming to lower fuel prices ahead of the US elections early next month. However, the move drew criticism from Kyiv and its allies, and resulted in a strained relationship between Trump and Zelenskyy. Despite claiming that \"great progress\" is being made in the war talks, Trump accused Ukraine of targeting Russian refineries to harm the Republican Party ahead of the November 3 election. He further accused Zelenskyy of deliberately targeting Russian refineries to hurt US diesel markets and suggested that the Ukrainian leader doesn't want to end the war.",
  "summary": "WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Sunday defended his decision to waive some sanctions on Russia, while once again accusing Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy of not wanting to end the war.",
  "key_points": [
    "Trump defends Russia sanctions waiver, accuses Ukraine of prolonging war",
    "Waived sanctions on Russia and Russian diesel ahead of US elections",
    "Trump claims Ukraine targeting Russian refineries to harm US interests"
  ],
  "editors_take": "Prioritizing immediate domestic economic relief and diplomatic leverage over traditional containment strategies shifts the American approach toward a peace negotiation centered on Russian participation and lower fuel costs.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "FXStreet",
        "title": "WTI drops to near $97.50 as US waives Russia oil sanctions",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/19/wti-drops-to-near-97-50-as-us-waives-russia-oil-sanctions",
        "published": "2026-10-19T01:06:05.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Al Jazeera",
        "title": "Trump defends Russian sanctions relief, lashes out at Zelenskyy",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/19/trump-defends-russian-sanctions-relief-lashes-out-at-zelenskyy",
        "published": "2026-10-19T03:10:05.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}