Trump eases Russia oil sanctions; Europe still buys Moscow's gas

President Donald Trump has signed an executive order waiving newly-passed Russia sanctions, citing US "national interest," a move analysts say will primarily benefit Moscow by reducing discounts on its oil exports. The waiver blocks planned tariffs and penalties on buyers of Russian oil and gas, including up to 100 percent duties on goods from top importers like China and India. Ukraine and European partners condemned the decision, while Trump accused Europeans of hypocrisy over their continued Russian gas imports. EU countries imported 817 million euros of Russian pipeline gas and 615 million euros of LNG in September, with France and Hungary among the largest buyers. Russia's Arctic LNG shipments to EU ports rose 9.5 percent year-on-year, despite the bloc's plan to phase out such imports next year.