MOSCOW: US President Donald Trump's decision to waive a new package of sanctions on Russia is a "historic moment", a Russian presidential envoy said on Saturday.
Trump signed an executive order on Friday waiving sweeping US sanctions and tariffs targeting Russia's energy revenues, two days before they were due to take effect.
The move came amid a clash with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that has fuelled speculation that the US leader is increasingly siding with Moscow nearly five years into Russia's offensive against Ukraine, which has killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced millions.
"The Trump administration's suspension of the Graham Act is an important and truly historic moment," Kirill Dmitriev, envoy for Russian President Vladimir Putin, said on social media.
The Kremlin and Putin — who appeared in military uniform on Friday and said Moscow intends to seize the rest of Ukraine — have yet to react to the move, which is a major diplomatic win for Russia.
The Lindsey Graham Act — named after the US senator who sponsored the bill — targeted Russia's energy and defence sectors, as well as Putin and other senior officials.
Dmitriev said the act would have caused "serious damage first and foremost to the US economy and global markets".
The West imposed sweeping sanctions on Russia when it launched its war against Ukraine in 2022.
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