Trump suspends Russia sanctions, drawing Zelensky criticism

US President Donald Trump suspended multiple sanctions against Russia two days before they were set to take effect, citing US national security interests, a move that drew sharp criticism from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and American lawmakers. The sanctions, approved by Congress and signed into law by Trump in September, targeted Russia's economy, including tariffs on oil and gas buyers, officials like Vladimir Putin, and Russian financial institutions. Trump's executive order on Friday blocked several provisions, which Russian representative Kirill Dmitriev called "historic" while Democrats accused Trump of capitulating to Moscow. Zelensky said the sanctions "could have helped enormously" and noted Russian attacks on 15 Ukrainian energy facilities caused power outages. The decision follows a controversial US-Russia diesel import deal and recent tensions over Starlink service disruptions in Ukraine.