Trump suspends Russia sanctions to keep peace talks alive

President Donald Trump suspended multiple Russian sanctions two days before they were set to take effect, saying the move aims to keep Moscow at the negotiating table for peace talks in the Russia-Ukraine war. He stated he did not want to drive Russia away from bargaining. Trump announced the suspension on Truth Social, criticizing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for not wanting to end the war. Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev called the move historic, while US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described it as a 60-day pause to analyze economic impacts. The sanctions had been passed by Congress and signed into law in September. Russia continues exporting oil, mainly to China and India, despite existing sanctions. Zelensky, who has pushed for stricter measures, said he expects the US to lift more sanctions, while European allies criticized Trump's plans to import Russian diesel.