Trump puts new Russia sanctions on hold

Summary

President Donald Trump has put new Russia sanctions on hold, two days before a sanctions deadline, according to Al Jazeera; the Sydney Morning Herald says the measures had passed Congress. The Sydney Morning Herald says the move came a week after Trump said the U.S. had agreed to buy Russian diesel to lower global energy prices, while Channel News Asia describes the move as a waiver and reports a deal with Putin to ease sanctions in exchange for Moscow releasing diesel to global markets. This follows earlier reports that the U.K. and Europe recoiled from Trump's diesel deal with Putin.

Timeline

1. Sydney Morning Herald

   17 Oct 2026, 02:56 UTCSource ↗

   The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Trump put new Russia sanctions passed by Congress on hold, a week after saying the U.S. had agreed to buy Russian diesel to try to lower global energy prices.

2. Al Jazeera

   17 Oct 2026, 04:45 UTCSource ↗

   Al Jazeera reports that Trump's executive order put the new sanctions on hold two days before a sanctions deadline, a week after his diesel deal with Putin.

3. Channel News Asia

   17 Oct 2026, 05:27 UTCSource ↗

   Channel News Asia reports that Trump waived the new sanctions after a deal with Putin to ease sanctions in exchange for Moscow releasing large amounts of diesel into global markets.