Trump defends Russia sanctions waiver as bipartisan criticism grows in Congress

President Donald Trump waived sanctions on Russia days before they were due to take effect, reversing course on legislation Congress had overwhelmingly passed, according to Associated Press.

Trump had signed the sanctions bill into law last month before moving to exempt Russia, The Hill reported. The decision immediately put him at odds with lawmakers from both parties over pressure on Russia and support for Ukraine.

On October 17, Republicans joined Democrats in condemning the waiver. Sen. Thom Tillis called the move "beyond irresponsible," according to The Hill. Al Jazeera reported that lawmakers said suspending sanctions undermined support for Ukraine.

The criticism extended beyond a handful of dissenters. At least eight Republican senators and several House lawmakers had spoken against Trump's diesel deal with Russia or the sanctions waiver, Japan Times reported on October 17. But outrage had not produced a quick congressional countermeasure, according to Arab News.

On October 18, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright defended the decision to buy Russian diesel as an "incentive to end the war," Business Insider reported. Administration explanations were not consistent: Times now described differing accounts, including that the deal offered bargaining leverage and that Russia would have sold the fuel anyway.

Trump also defended the decision himself. "It's a very good decision," he said, arguing it would benefit the country and the world, according to The Hindu.

Later on October 18, Trump presented the sanctions pause as a way to secure permanent peace and bring US fuel price relief, New York Post reported. He also accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of not wanting to end the war, according to Le Monde. That accusation was Trump's claim, not an established account of Ukraine's position.

The waiver has drawn substantial bipartisan opposition, but the coverage identifies no swift congressional action to counter it. Arab News described a gap between lawmakers' anger and an immediate response.

Trump is defending the policy on both diplomatic and economic grounds. His administration has offered differing explanations for the diesel arrangement, according to Times now, leaving unresolved how the relief is supposed to produce an end to the war.

The immediate question is whether lawmakers turn their criticism into a concrete effort to challenge the waiver. No quick counteraction was apparent in the reporting from Arab News.

Another open question is what Russia would have to do in return for relief. Wright described an incentive for ending the war, according to Business Insider, while Trump argued that the pause could help secure peace, according to New York Post. Those reports do not establish a specific Russian commitment.