Global News Edmonton has reported:

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Friday pausing a broad package of sanctions against Russia, telling Congress the delay was in the national interest. He had signed the legislation into law just last month, and the order came two days before the law’s deadline for implementation. The decision drew condemnation from congressional Democrats, while the White House did not immediately explain how the pause served the national interest.

The legislation, named for the late South Carolina senator Lindsey Graham, was designed to restrict the financial resources supporting Russia’s war against Ukraine. Graham had advocated tougher U.S. sanctions to pressure Moscow to end the conflict. He died unexpectedly in July, shortly after returning from Ukraine, and lawmakers from both parties backed the measure after his death.

The bill was also drafted by Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat from Connecticut. It would sanction Russian officials and banks, as well as a shadow fleet of tankers used to keep Russian energy moving. It also directed Trump to impose tariffs of up to 100 per cent on the five largest importers of Russian oil or natural gas, with an exception for countries importing less than 15 per cent of Russia’s natural gas exports that had taken significant steps to reduce those imports.

The package was intended to deprive Russian President Vladimir Putin of resources Moscow needs to continue its war, which began with the invasion of Ukraine more than four years ago. Trump’s signature on the legislation had followed large majorities in both the House and Senate. The administration had said little about the measure since it passed, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urging lawmakers to move it forward.

Blumenthal accused Trump of abandoning U.S. allies and lawmakers. “These waivers have nothing to do with our national security, and everything to do with sucking up to Vladimir Putin,” he said in a statement. He also said Trump was turning his back on “the majority of Americans, their representatives in both houses of Congress, and our European allies.”

Democratic Rep. Don Beyer of Virginia wrote on social media shortly after the suspension was announced that he and others had “warned” Trump might take such action. Beyer, a veteran congressman who had spoken against the bill during debate, urged Congress to “fix this flawed law to stop Trump from capitulating to Putin and ensure that it truly supports Ukraine.”

The order was posted on the White House website late Friday evening. The accompanying notification said a report explaining the decision had been submitted to Congress, but the administration did not immediately provide a public account of why suspending the sanctions was in the national interest.

Trump’s decision came a week after he said the United States had agreed to purchase diesel from Russia in an effort to lower global energy prices. Under the announced agreement, Russia would immediately supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel, followed by another 500,000 tons in November and 1 million tons “immediately thereafter.” Trump’s announcement drew criticism from Republicans and Democrats, who said the purchases would help Russia carry out its war against Ukraine without meaningfully reducing fuel prices.

Global fuel prices have been elevated largely because of Trump’s war on Iran, according to the source account. An AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll published Oct. 1 found Americans disapproved of Trump’s handling of the Iran war and blamed him for higher prices. His approval ratings have fallen to near historic lows as Republicans face mounting pressure to retain control of both chambers of Congress in the Nov. 3 midterm elections.

The suspended sanctions had also become a campaign issue for Darline Graham, Lindsey Graham’s sister, who was appointed to serve the remaining months of his current Senate term and is running to replace him permanently. After Trump signed the bill last month, she said: “I wish Lindsey were here to celebrate this historic day.”

Darline Graham has Trump’s endorsement and is expected to campaign with him in South Carolina next week. In a debate earlier this week with Democratic nominee Annie Andrews, she said she had been “so proud” to help pass the measure, while acknowledging that its implementation was the president’s decision.

“It gives the president tools that he can use if he so chooses, to end the war through economic sanctions,” Graham said Sunday during the debate in Columbia. “So that’s up to him as to whether or not he wants to use it, or whether he wants to use something else, but I think the purpose of it is to bring down the gas prices and ultimately end the war. And when the war ends, gas prices will fall.”

Trump’s move also comes as he has increasingly criticized Zelenskyy, blaming the Ukrainian president for failing to reach a deal with Putin to end the fighting. The decision leaves the sanctions package on hold despite its recent passage and the law’s approaching implementation deadline.