Zelenskyy warns Trump's Russia sanctions waiver is 'just the first step'

President Donald Trump waived sweeping US sanctions on Russia days before they were set to take effect, drawing bipartisan outrage and prompting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to warn that further concessions are likely. The executive order, signed Friday, exempted Russia from sanctions targeting its energy revenues despite Moscow's continued strikes on Ukraine in the fifth year of the war. Zelenskyy said the "diesel deal" with Putin is "just the first step" and that easing pressure only encourages further attacks, while US politicians called the move "beyond irresponsible" and "a mistake." The Lindsey Graham Act, passed in September, had aimed to cut off Russian war funding by targeting energy, defence, and the shadow fleet. Trump's waiver followed a US-Russia agreement allowing Russian diesel imports ahead of the November midterms, as Democrats accused him of giving Putin "life support."