00:01U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday waiving several sanctions on Russia that were supposed to
00:08come into effect on Sunday.
00:10The U.S. President told Congress the decision was in the national interest without further elaborating.
00:16Trump had signed the sanctions bill into law in September in an effort to put more pressure onto the Kremlin
00:22over its war in Ukraine.
00:23It targeted Russia's energy and defense forces, Russian President Vladimir Putin and other senior officials, major banks, and Moscow's so
00:32-called shadow fleet of tankers that are used to circumvent Western sanctions.
00:37The move comes amid increasing criticism from Trump of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky over Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy infrastructure
00:46and the impact on high global fuel prices.
00:50Earlier this month, Trump agreed to a controversial deal with Putin to allow diesel exports.
00:57Relations between Kiev and Washington have since been tense, with Zelensky as well as its European allies criticizing the move.
