Republicans Rebuke Trump Over Russia Sanctions Pause

Several Republican senators have publicly criticized President Donald Trump's decision to suspend sanctions against Russia, a move that came just four weeks after the penalties were enacted into law.

Senators John Cornyn and Thom Tillis voiced strong disapproval of Trump's executive order, which waived new sanctions and a 500 percent tariff on Russian goods. Cornyn invoked the late Senator Lindsey Graham, whose name is attached to the sanctions act, suggesting Graham would have been "appalled" by the president's action. Tillis described the decision as "unconscionable," accusing the administration of "capitulating to a Russian dictator who illegally invaded Ukraine and butchers innocent civilians."

The president's reversal on the sanctions coincides with efforts by Russian President Vladimir Putin to arrange a three-way summit with Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping. According to the Wall Street Journal, Putin seeks to discuss the future of Ukraine, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky excluded from the proposed talks. The Kremlin reportedly wants the summit to occur on the sidelines of the APEC gathering in China in November.

While Republicans expressed dismay, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent issued a warning to Kyiv regarding statements made about Starlink satellite services. Bessent stated that Zelensky "should be very careful about making statements like this that aren’t true" after the Ukrainian president claimed Washington had ordered Starlink to be slowed for his military. Bessent called Zelensky's accusation "reckless."

Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have denied that the administration throttled the satellite service, which Ukraine's forces use for frontline communications. Zelensky, while admitting he didn't know "from whom" the order came, told NBC that it "came from" the American government.

Trump's public criticism of Zelensky followed a phone call with Putin on October 9. During that conversation, the two leaders reportedly agreed that the U.S. would purchase Russian diesel fuel to help stabilize the global market. After Ukraine struck an oil terminal in St. Petersburg on Sunday, Trump posted on Truth Social that Zelensky "doesn’t want to end this war, and probably never did." Trump has also suggested Ukraine needs a new president and called for Kyiv to halt strikes on Russian refineries.

A senior U.S. official indicated that Trump has not yet agreed to the trilateral summit but might be receptive, citing his campaign promise to end the war on "day one."

The White House has framed the Russian diesel deal as a measure to help lower fuel costs, which have risen amid global conflicts. However, some energy experts contend that the conflict in Iran is the primary driver of high fuel prices and that the volume of diesel Russia has pledged would have a minimal impact on the market.