Zelensky Warns Trump's Sanctions Pause Aids Putin

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned that Donald Trump's decision to pause Russian sanctions will only aid Vladimir Putin and provide him with "every reason" to drag on the conflict forever.

The US President signed an executive order late last night blocking new penalties on oil and gas exports scheduled for implementation tomorrow. The Kremlin celebrated this move as "historic". These rules were set to cripple Russia's military campaign against Ukraine and punish nations aiding Moscow financially.

Trump stated the waiver, pushed by late senator Lindsey Graham and codified into law recently, served the "national interest". Yet after a night featuring some of Russia's fiercest assaults on Ukrainian energy grids, Zelensky criticized the move to lift these restrictions.

On Saturday, he posted online that Russian forces struck more than 15 critical power generation and transmission sites across his country. He accused Putin of attempting to force a blackout right before winter arrives. Overnight, over 320 Shahed drones alongside cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, and other munitions were fired at Ukraine.

"Russia is trying to cause a blackout in Ukraine – right before winter," he stated. Rescuers battled fires outside homes damaged by these missile strikes near Zaporizhzhia.

"The Kremlin has praised as 'historic' Donald Trump's waiver of imminent sanctions on Russia in a move which could bolster its war against Ukraine." "Russia is trying to leave millions of our people without electricity and heating. Pressure is needed to stop this."

"A U.S. sanctions blackout, easing pressure on the aggressor, financial rewards for Putin – all of this only encourages him to keep attacking." "We must not give up ground. We must keep trying to end the war. To end it, not give Putin every reason to continue it indefinitely.

I thank everyone who is truly fighting for peace and helping Ukraine!" The tone of gratitude contrasts sharply with a wave of geopolitical maneuvering just hours away from breaking news on US sanctions. President Donald Trump has moved to block the Lindsey Graham Act, a decision that ripples across Atlantic relations. This shift comes as Britain prepares to join Germany and France in a major military exercise scheduled for Poland next month. At the same time, the Royal Navy announced its biggest warship, HMS Prince of Wales, is returning to the North Atlantic. Stealth fighter jets are set to return to the skies over the High North while this carrier sails toward the Arctic and North Atlantic. The deployment acts as a powerful shield alongside Nato allies, ensuring critical energy, trade, and communication links remain secure for daily life in the region.

Across the ocean, Moscow reacted with what it calls triumph. Kirill Dmitriev, Russia's presidential envoy, described Trump's choice to waive sanctions and tariffs on Russian energy exports as a "historic moment" on social media channel X. He called the suspension of the Graham Act an important step that keeps economic dialogue alive and continues peacemaking efforts. Without this waiver, he warned, all cooperation between Russia and the US would have halted completely, inflicting serious damage on American markets. The White House confirmed the sanctions were being lifted via a post on their website, noting a report explaining the move was submitted to Congress. In Moscow, Vladimir Putin appeared in military fatigues on state television yesterday, speaking bullishly with army chiefs and signaling that US backing for Russia has bolstered Kremlin confidence.

The drama intensified after Trump addressed supporters ahead of midterm congressional elections, stating the war in Ukraine "has to stop." This stance followed a week where he ignited outrage by suspending sanctions against Russia. The deal included an initial supply of more than 300,000 tons of diesel for the US, with further shipments planned. Volodymyr Zelensky condemned this action immediately. He called lifting the sanctions "a gift to Putin" and argued it would allow the Russian leader to kill more people and wage war longer. Trump fired back by telling Ukraine it was time to get a new leader. Later in the week, he accused Zelensky of destroying his own country, claimed the Ukrainian president is harder to deal with than Vladimir Putin, and branded attacks on Russian oil refineries as a disgrace.

Andy Burnham recently welcomed Volodymyr Zelensky outside Number 10 Downing Street, a stark image against the backdrop of damaged apartment buildings in Ukraine from Saturday's air strikes. Now Lord Peter Ricketts, former National Security Adviser to the UK and ex-Foreign Office chief, is weighing in on the controversy. Speaking to the BBC this morning, he accused Trump of going all out to woo Putin just to get diesel for domestic use. He sees Zelensky as a scapegoat and an obstacle in that strategy. Ricketts believes Trump is obsessed with lowering fuel prices before the midterms and has identified Putin as the key to solving the energy problem. "He gets in the way," Ricketts stated, implying the Ukrainian leader stands between US interests and Russian cooperation on oil and gas.

He is annoying so now he is the scapegoat," Lord Ricketts said on Radio 4's Today programme. "He is entirely focused on working with Putin to solve his immediate problem." Trump has gone all out to woo Vladimir Putin, aiming to secure diesel shipments for America instead of cutting off supply. The new bill was designed to starve Moscow of the resources and finances needed to escalate its war against Ukraine, which is now heading towards its fifth year. It would have imposed tariffs of up to 100 per cent within thirty days on all goods brought into the US from the five largest importers of Russian crude oil or gas.

The legislation also planned to sanction Russian officials, banks, and a shadow fleet of tankers that keeps Russian energy circulating around the globe. Any country knowingly buying oil or gas from Moscow thirty days after the law was enacted would have faced tough sanctions too. Nations among the top five helping Russia evade these rules would be hit hard as well. Countries including China and India would have been directly affected by this bill.

Announcing the order, Mr Trump stated he had submitted a certification to Congress that issuing such a waiver at this time serves the national interests of the United States. Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat who helped draft the legislation, accused Mr Trump of turning his back on the majority of Americans, their representatives in both houses of Congress, and our European allies. "These waivers have nothing to do with our national security," he warned, adding that they were everything to do with sucking up to Vladimir Putin.

Police and paramedics evacuate a resident from an apartment building damaged during a Russian air strike as tensions rise. Lagging in the polls with approval ratings at an all-time low, Mr Trump's latest move is widely seen as a desperate bid to improve his standing ahead of the November 3 midterms. Calling him mercurial, Lord Ricketts said he would not be surprised if Trump blamed Putin again should he fail in the elections and change positions. But he warned that this situation was a real problem for the Ukrainian people with the MAGA movement and far-right politicians in Europe claiming Ukraine could never win the war.

Dismissing the UK as unlikely to have any influence on Donald Trump in the short term, the Prime Minister acts as a bridge between the US and Ukraine. Lord Ricketts warned UK ministers should put more effort into the coalition of the willing to get behind Ukraine. He urged them not just to offer Zelensky an arm around the shoulder in Downing Street but to give him the material needed to survive this very difficult winter. He also sounded a sombre warning that the government must start warning the British people about what is coming next.

Not only is Putin trying to break morale in Ukraine, he is also trying to undermine morale in European countries. We have had some pretty stark warnings this week from the Director of MI5 and also from the Head of the Army that worse could come in the form of hybrid attacks in the UK and other European nations. I would like to hear what they are going to be doing about that threat. Calling on the government to get on with spending money on defence and resilience, Lord Ricketts pointed out that our energy, transport infrastructure, air traffic control system, and defence sites all need better protection.

That is an argument in Parliament that needs to happen because they need to find the money to do it. I am not saying there is going to be industrial war with tanks rolling across the North German plains but these hybrid attacks are getting more reckless and dangerous. One day people will end up being killed somewhere so we are going to have to look at responding in that sense. We must find the money to do it and that discussion needs to start now.