Trump suspends new Russia sanctions he signed into law

President Donald Trump has suspended a sweeping package of Russia sanctions he signed into law last month, citing national interest in an executive order issued Friday, two days before the sanctions were set to take effect. The bipartisan law, named after the late Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, aimed to starve Moscow of war funding by sanctioning Russian officials, banks, and a shadow fleet of tankers, and directed tariffs of up to 100 percent on major importers of Russian oil and gas. Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev called the pause "historic," while critics, including Democratic Representative Don Beyer, urged Congress to fix the law, linking the move to Trump's recent diesel purchase deal with Russia and upcoming US midterm elections.