Trump exempts Russia from new sanctions; Moscow hails a "historic moment"

Moscow on Saturday hailed as a "historic moment" Donald Trump's decision to exempt Russia from major new sanctions under a law recently passed by Congress.

The decree published by the White House on Friday evening inflicts another blow on Ukraine, which fears being abandoned by its American ally.

"The suspension of the Graham law by the Trump administration is an important and truly historic moment," Kirill Dmitriev, Kremlin adviser for international economic cooperation, said on social media.

Already shaken by recent pro-Moscow announcements from the Republican leader, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said this week that he felt "betrayed" and turned to his European allies, asking them for an additional $70 billion to deal with the Russian invasion.

With this latest measure, Donald Trump dealt a blow to a text of great symbolic importance: the Graham Act, which constituted the first major action of Congress against Moscow since its return to power, while leaving it considerable latitude for its application.

"I hereby exempt the application of such sanctions, restrictions and tariffs provided for in the Graham Act," states the executive order issued by the White House, invoking "the national interest of the United States."

This new legislative arsenal, enacted in mid-September by the Republican, specifically targets the Russian energy sector. It theoretically targets the Russian shadow fleet for the first time, and also targets President Vladimir Putin, as well as other high-ranking Russian officials.

In particular, it gives Donald Trump the power to impose tariffs of up to 100% on the five main importing countries of Russian gas and oil, including China and India.

The law is named after its main sponsor, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who died in July, a staunch defender of Ukraine and a fierce critic of Russia and Iran.

It was strongly supported by Volodymyr Zelensky, who, upon its promulgation, hailed it as "an extremely powerful tool capable of putting an end to this terrorist war and pushing Russia to make peace."

But the already strained relations between the American and Ukrainian presidents have since entered a new crisis. In early October, Donald Trump announced that he had reached an agreement with Vladimir Putin to lift sanctions and allow the United States to import large quantities of Russian diesel.

Since then, Kyiv has complained of not having been warned by its allies of imminent Russian attacks, including reports of restrictions on the use of satellite services from Elon Musk's company, SpaceX.

- European support –

Ukraine depends on Western, and especially American, military intelligence to anticipate and counter Russian attacks, which is all the more crucial for its army as it faces shortages of interceptor missiles.

Meeting in Brussels on Friday, European Union leaders assured Volodymyr Zelensky of their support, while acknowledging that they would have to dip into their pockets again next year, a politically sensitive issue in several European countries, including France.

"The war will cost 155 billion euros next year. And we need at least 70 billion euros more from you," Volodymyr Zelensky stated.

"Ukraine has made its request, it is too early to put a number on it," said French President Emmanuel Macron, while insisting that the Europeans "will not give up" on Kyiv.

After four and a half years of large-scale invasion, Ukraine is facing an intensification of Russian bombing, which left at least one more dead on Friday night in Kherson (south), and fears a difficult winter.

In response, its army has stepped up long-range strikes, with Russian authorities reporting that dozens of drones were shot down as they headed towards Moscow.

Donald Trump, facing American discontent over energy prices as the midterm elections approach, is not hiding his anger at Ukrainian strikes against Russian refineries, which have resumed after several days of pause.

Avoiding any direct criticism, Volodymyr Zelensky stressed in Brussels that his team was "in talks" with American negotiators, mentioning a possible meeting in the coming days.