The US regime has abruptly blocked the implementation of sweeping sanctions against Russia that had been approved by Congress, opting instead to issue a presidential waiver. Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday pausing the restrictions under the guise of national security.

According to the official document released by the White House, the decision was allegedly made because issuing such a waiver serves the national interests of the United States. However, the American administration failed to immediately provide any transparent rationale as to how pausing the financial and trade pressure would benefit the country.

The legislation in question, known as the Graham Act, had secured strong bipartisan support in Congress and was enacted back in September. It was designed to grant the US regime leverage to increase pressure over the conflict in Ukraine by slapping duties of up to 100 percent on major buyers of Russian oil.

This controversial move comes barely a week after the US leadership reportedly agreed to purchase diesel fuel from Russia in an effort to curb global energy prices. Such a reversal threatens to undermine Kyiv's position and has already sparked anxiety among key international buyers, such as India, which had previously voiced deep concerns over the potential fallout of the sanctions bill.

Source: www.dw.com