Trump Puts New Russia Sanctions that He Recently Signed into Law on Hold, Citing National Interest
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday putting a sweeping new sanctions package targeting the Russian economy on hold, telling Congress the pause was in the national interest. The move came two days before a deadline set in the law for implementation; Trump had personally signed the legislation last month. The package, named after the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, sought to sanction Russian officials, banks and a shadow fleet of tankers and directed Trump to impose up to 100% tariffs on the top five importers of Russian oil or natural gas.
Why it matters: The suspension matters for the sanctions theme because it halts implementation of a package intended to constrain financing for Russia's war in Ukraine.