The Trump administration is delivering a string of victories — for the Russian economy.
Within weeks of waiving sanctions on Russian diesel, President Donald Trump waived sanctions on Russia’s trading partners, prompting a fresh wave of GOP pushback that is building by the hour.
“I want to see those used,” Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., said earlier Monday.
Neither waiver is projected to have much long-term effect on US prices. But one expert estimated the diesel waiver alone could help Russian exporters net $30 to $40 more per ton, in turn padding Moscow’s tax revenue.
The UK last year estimated that global sanctions had previously deprived Russia of $450 billion in war funds, including $154 billion in lost oil revenue and $285 billion in frozen central bank reserves.
White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers told Semafor both waivers were necessary to “see this brutal war [in Ukraine] come to an end,” echoing an argument Trump made on Truth Social.
“Enforcing the sanctions provisions now would impede ongoing US efforts to negotiate a durable and comprehensive peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia,” Rogers said.
— Eleanor Mueller