US sanctions on Russia will not take effect as planned after President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday waiving them for national security reasons.
“As described further in section 4 of this order, I am hereby waiving the application of such sanctions, restrictions, and duties provided for in the Graham Act,” the executive order said.
“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 said in the order released by the White House.
The White House did not immediately explain how Trump’s decision to pause the sanctions will serve the national interest.
The decision was notified on the White House website late in the evening. It noted that the report explaining the decision had been submitted to Congress.
India, one of the biggest buyers of Russian oil, was among the countries that raised concerns about the Russia sanctions bill.
The move from the White House comes a week after Trump said the US had agreed to purchase diesel from Russia to try and bring down global energy prices, despite that potentially hurting Ukraine in its war with Russia.
More to come on this developing news
