Congress condemns Trump's waiver of Russian sanctions

President Donald Trump's decision to waive Russian sanctions, days before they were to take effect, drew bipartisan outrage from Congress on Saturday, with lawmakers condemning the move as capitulating to Vladimir Putin amid the Ukraine war. The executive order, issued late Friday, indefinitely suspends sanctions that Congress passed overwhelmingly, including the Lindsey Graham Russian Sanctions Act, which aimed to impose steep tariffs on Russian energy imports. Senators from both parties, including Thom Tillis and Elizabeth Warren, blasted the decision, while Trump separately announced a diesel deal with Putin to import Russian energy to address U.S. gas prices ahead of the midterm elections. Ukraine is bracing for a harsh winter as Russia attacks its energy infrastructure, and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged supporters to advocate for the sanctions. Congress is on recess until after Election Day, leaving no immediate path to challenge Trump's move, though some lawmakers have introduced legislation to block the diesel deal.