US President Donald Trump has postponed the entry into force of the sanctions bill against Russia, explaining the decision by the need not to derail ongoing peace negotiations. In his own words, signing the sanctions at the present moment "would interfere with negotiations," and he could do it "sometime later." At the same time, the head of the White House shifted the responsibility for prolonging the conflict to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, stating that he "does not want to end this war and probably never did." This was reported by RBC-Ukraine with reference to Trump's post on the Truth Social social network.
"I don't want to do anything foolish": Washington's logic
"My decision on Russia is very simple. I am negotiating peace in the war between Russia and Ukraine and I don't want to do anything that foolishly pushes Russia away from the negotiating table," Trump wrote. According to him, the parties have achieved "great progress," including in hostage negotiations, although he did not specify individuals. The US President cited the situation around Iran as an additional argument: in his opinion, Russia "barely helps Iran compared to what it could do," and he wants it to "stay that way."
Freezing the sanctions bill by decree
On Friday, Trump froze the sanctions bill against Russia by decree just days before it was set to take effect. The document provided for high tariffs for countries purchasing Russian oil. The decision caused dissatisfaction among lawmakers from both parties, but at the time of adoption, Congress was on recess until the November 3 elections. Secretary of State Marco Rubio explained that the administration wants 60 days to assess the economic impact of the sanctions.
Accusations against Zelenskyy
Trump stated that Zelenskyy "deliberately targets Russian oil refineries, knowing that this affects the global diesel market, particularly in the US," which he says hurts farmers and businesses, while Russia "supplies millions of barrels of cheap diesel to the world." "Zelenskyy doesn't care, and frankly, with all the money Europe is giving him and that crooking Joe Biden gave him in the past, he doesn't want to end this war and probably never did," the US President wrote. He also stated that two years ago Ukraine could have struck a "better deal than now," and emphasized: "His country is in ruins, most of his land is lost, his oceans and seas are gone, and his male population is small, wounded and/or dead. I WANT THIS WAR TO END!"
Kyiv's reaction
In an interview with Bloomberg, Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that US steps look like an attempt to push Ukraine toward capitulation. According to him, Kyiv offered to refrain from striking Russian diesel in exchange for the supply of missiles for Patriot systems, but Washington, he claims, "just demands to stop the strikes."
Context: attacks on energy infrastructure
Against the background of negotiations, Russia continues to strike Ukraine's energy infrastructure. According to the report, a week after the announced "energy truce," the invaders attacked Ukraine's energy facilities 76 times.
