Trump says his Russia sanctions decision is meant to keep Moscow at the negotiating table

US President Donald Trump said his decision on Russia sanctions was made because he did not want “to do anything that will drive, foolishly, Russia away from the bargaining table”, in a post on Truth Social at 8:36pm GMT on Sunday 18 October.

On Friday 16 October Trump signed an executive order waiving many of the sanctions and tariffs in a Russia sanctions law that Congress passed and he signed in September. Republicans and Democrats in Congress have criticised the waiver.

“Great progress is being made, and that includes current hostage negotiations! Signing that document at this time will do that, and I can sign it later, or any time that I want!” Trump wrote. He said Russia was “doing very little, if anything, to help the Islamic Republic of Iran” and that he wanted “to keep it that way”. He said Ukrainian strikes on Russian diesel refineries were “seriously hurting the world diesel markets”.

Post by Donald J. Trump on Truth Social, 18 October 2026, 8:36pm GMT

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday that no sanctions had been lifted and that Trump wanted a 60-day pause “so we can examine what’s going on”. “The only thing that has been lifted is the diesel embargo,” he said. Asked three times whether the US considers Ukraine an ally, he said: “I’m not the secretary of state. I’m not the president,” NBC News reported.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, interviewed on the same programme, said waiving the sanctions would strengthen Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war effort and that it would be a “historic mistake” for the US to side with Russia, CBS News and NBC News reported.