White House Explains Sanctions Pause as Push for Ukraine Peace

The White House stated that imposing new sanctions on Russia would hinder US efforts to resolve the Ukrainian conflict, according to spokesperson Taylor Rogers. President Donald Trump signed a decree delaying certain restrictions while reserving the right to apply them at any time. Rogers said applying sanctions now would obstruct current US efforts to reach a durable peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia. Trump made clear he intends to end the conflict, but retains authority to use sanctions if they serve national interests. The decree exempts measures from a September law allowing tariffs up to 500% on Russian goods. The September law permits additional duties up to 100% on goods from top buyers of Russian oil and gas. Existing sanctions remain unaffected. On October 9, Putin and Trump agreed on Russian diesel supplies, while Trump later criticized Zelensky's readiness for peace talks and strikes on Russian refineries.