United States President Donald Trump has frozen a new package of sanctions against the Russian economy just two days before it was due to take effect, stating that the decision is in the national interest of the United States, RTS reports.

In an executive order signed late last night, Trump stated that he had certified to Congress that the freeze was “in the national interest of the United States at this time,” but did not explain the reasons for the decision, CNN reports.

Bloomberg reports that Trump abandoned the implementation of steep tariffs linked to Russian energy exports because the measures would have complicated his efforts to lower diesel prices ahead of the U.S. midterm elections. The tariffs remain formally imposed, but their implementation has been suspended, meaning Trump could enforce them later if he decides to do so, Bloomberg explains.

Trump personally signed the law introducing new sanctions against Russia last month, but decided to freeze it just two days before it was due to take effect, the Associated Press notes. The agency recalls that the law was named after the late South Carolina senator Lindsey Graham and was intended to cut off the flow of financial resources funding Russia’s war against Ukraine more quickly.

Under the previously adopted measures, Trump had 30 days to impose 100 percent tariffs on all goods from five buyers of Russian crude oil. The sanctions would also have targeted numerous Russian entities and imposed 500 percent tariffs on all U.S. exports of Russian energy products. The deadline was due to expire tomorrow, October 18.

Trump’s unexpected decision came a week after he announced that the United States had agreed to buy diesel from Russia in an attempt to lower global energy prices, despite the potential harm this could cause Ukraine in its war with Russia.

Trump’s latest move has drawn criticism from U.S. Democrats and further heightened concerns over increasingly strained relations between Washington and Kyiv. Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren criticized the move, saying that Trump was weakening pressure on the Kremlin.

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