MOSCOW: A Russian presidential envoy has described US President Donald Trump’s decision to suspend a new package of sanctions against Moscow as a “historic moment”, viewing the move as a significant diplomatic development for Russia.
Trump signed an executive order on Friday waiving sweeping US sanctions and tariffs targeting Russian energy revenues, just two days before the measures were scheduled to take effect.
The decision came amid growing tensions between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, fuelling speculation about a possible shift in Washington’s approach to Moscow nearly five years into Russia’s war against Ukraine. The conflict has killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced millions.
Kirill Dmitriev, an envoy for Russian President Vladimir Putin, welcomed the development in a social media post, calling the Trump administration’s suspension of the Graham Act an important and historic step.
The Kremlin and Putin had yet to publicly comment on the decision. On Friday, Putin appeared in military uniform and reiterated Moscow’s intention to take control of the remaining parts of eastern Ukraine.
The proposed Lindsey Graham Act, named after the US senator who sponsored the legislation, sought to target Russia’s energy and defence industries, as well as Putin and other senior Russian officials.
Dmitriev argued that implementing the legislation would have inflicted substantial damage on the US economy and global financial markets.
Western countries imposed extensive sanctions on Russia following Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, targeting key sectors of its economy in an effort to pressure the Kremlin over the war.
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