Volodymyr Zelensky has expressed hope that a bill of sanctions against Russia can be revived, calling on Kyiv's allies to "voice support" for the measures.
US president Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday that blocked a sweeping new sanctions package targeting the Russian economy, telling Congress the pause was in the "national interest".
asserted
pause → express → interest
The sanctions were due to come into force today.
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sanctions → come → force
In a statement on social media, Zelensky described Trump's move to put the sanctions on hold as unfortunate, without directly criticising the US president.
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Zelensky → describe → president
“This Act could have helped enormously – and still can!
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Act → help → ?
But it needs to actually work, and every voice in support of it matters,” he wrote.
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he → need → it
Members of Congress from both parties have strongly criticised the executive order, with Republican senator Thom Tillis calling it "beyond irresponsible".
Trump's secretary of state Marco Rubio described the order as a 60-day pause to "analyse" the economic impacts of the sanctions bill.
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Rubio → criticise → bill
He pointed to concerns about high energy prices in the US and the ongoing Iran war, saying: “We need that period of time to sort of study all this and figure out what the right combination is.
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combination → point → this
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Trump’s deal with devil 'keeps getting dirtier'
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deal → get → devil
"Beyond irresponsible," said senator Thom Tillis on social media, outraged about Donald Trump’s decision to pause sanctions on Russia.
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Tillis → say → Russia
"What part of enforcing a law passed 86-11 by the Senate does the President and his advisers not understand?" Tillis said.
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Tillis → enforce → Senate
"It's unconscionable that this administration is capitulating to a Russian dictator who illegally invaded Ukraine.
"
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who → capitulate → Ukraine
Republican senator John Cornyn of Texas said "Lindsey would be appalled," referring to the late senator Lindsey Graham, who worked tirelessly on the bill before he died this summer.
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he → say → bill
The bill is known as the Lindsey Graham Russian Sanctions Act.
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bill → know → Act
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York said in a statement that "by giving the Russian economy life support, Trump's deal with the devil keeps getting dirtier."
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deal → say → devil
Senator Elizabeth Warren said Trump is "thumbing his nose" at Congress and "enabling Vladimir Putin to continue his war of aggression."
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Trump → say → aggression
She urged her colleagues to take action to reverse course.
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She → urge → course
Next steps uncertain with Congress out until after Election Day
Donald Trump's actions come as Ukraine is bracing for a stark winter confronting Russia's ongoing attacks on its energy infrastructure to heat homes and keep the lights on.
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Ukraine → come → lights
Trump had indicated he was waiving the sanctions indefinitely, citing national security concerns.
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he → indicate → concerns
Later Saturday, Trump told reporters that they don't know what his decision is yet regarding sanctions in Russia, despite the executive order he signed Friday night.
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he → tell → order
"We'll figure it out, and you'll figure it out.
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you → figure → it
But it's a very good decision, and it's going to be a decision that's good for the country, and I think good for the world," Trump said at a fundraising dinner at his Florida estate.
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Trump → go → estate
Secretary of state Marco Rubio, separately addressing reporters on Saturday before departing for Central Asia, suggested Trump would take 60 days to review the global and US economic impacts of imposing the proposed sanctions on Russia and other countries, in light of tariffs already in place.
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Trump → address → place
Pointing to high energy prices and the Iran war, "we need that period of time to sort of study all this and figure out what the right combination is," he said.
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he → point → this
Poland says it is verifying a possible violation of its airspace
Poland is verifying a possible violation of its airspace by an unidentified object, the army said on Sunday.
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army → say → Sunday
So far, there has been no confirmation of a violation of the airspace, the army said in a post on X.
The army said it had deployed a ground search-and-rescue team in the south of Lublin, which is conducting searches for the possible crash site of the object.
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which → say → object
Zelensky hopes for revival of Russian sanctions
Ukraine's president expressed hope that sanctions that were supposed to take effect on Sunday targeting Russia's economy could be revived.
Volodymyr Zelensky described Donald Trump's move to put sanctions on hold as unfortunate, but did not directly criticise the US leader despite deepening tensions between Ukraine and Washington in recent days.
"A decision was unfortunately made in America to completely disregard the Lindsey Graham Act, which was supposed to impose truly effective pressure on Russia to bring this war to an end," Zelensky wrote in a statement on social media.
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Zelensky → express → media
“This Act could have helped enormously – and still can!
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Act → help → ?
But it needs to actually work, and every voice in support of it matters.”
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voice → need → it
He separately thanked Democrats and Republicans who supported the legislation, saying that blocking it would encourage Russia to continue killing and that limiting Ukraine’s ability to retaliate would not bring peace.
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limiting → thank → peace
“Nevertheless, we very much hope — and I personally hope — that the president of the United States of America will do everything possible to make (Russian president Vladimir) Putin stop the killing, stop the attacks on our energy infrastructure, and end this war,” he said.
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he → hope → war
It took almost a year for Lindsey Graham to persuade Trump to agree to the Russian sanctions package.
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Graham → take → package
It was designed to impose steep tariffs on countries that import large amounts of Russian oil and energy products and was promoted as a way to halt the flow of funds fuelling Putin's four-year war against Ukraine.
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that → design → Ukraine
Trump's decision to waive Russian sanctions outrages Congress
President Donald Trump's abrupt decision to waive sanctions on Russia days before they were to take effect drew outrage on Saturday from members of Congress, which had overwhelmingly passed the legislation in a bipartisan display of American support for Ukraine in the war with Russia.
Lawmakers from both parties blasted the executive order late on Friday, the latest in a series of steps that the Republican president has taken drawing the United States closer to Russia's Vladimir Putin.
Trump recently announced a diesel deal with Putin to import Russian energy in a long-shot effort to curb high gas prices in the US that are roiling the midterm elections on 3 November.
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that → waive → November
I think it's clear Russia is the aggressor, and we've got to do everything we can to put economic pressure on Russia," senator Rick Scott said in an interview with the Associated Press.
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Scott → think → Press
"So it's not the first thing I would be doing.”
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I → do → ?
Zelensky says issues persist with Starlink and matter is being discussed with US
Ukraine still cannot use its interceptor systems against Russian drone attacks because of speed restrictions imposed on Starlink, president Volodymyr Zelensky has said, adding that Kyiv was discussing the issue with US officials.
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Kyiv → say → officials
Zelensky told reporters in a WhatsApp media chat that Ukrainian officials had been told the restrictions were linked to technical issues.
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restrictions → tell → issues
He said Ukraine had tested Starlink on European Union territory and encountered no such problems there, with the system operating at higher speeds.
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system → say → speeds
On Friday, Donald Trump said he did not believe either the US government or Elon Musk was to blame for deliberately restricting Ukraine’s Starlink access, and the UK government said it had received assurances from the White House that access had been restored.
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access → say → House
At least 1,500 troops to participate in war exercises in Poland
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participate → participate → Poland
…and 7 more, not listed.
The Aporia
