--- title: "Trump waives Russia sanctions, Zelensky calls move 'wrong'" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/trump-waives-russia-sanctions-zelensky-calls-move-wrong" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/trump-waives-russia-sanctions-zelensky-calls-move-wrong" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/trump-waives-russia-sanctions-zelensky-calls-move-wrong.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/trump-waives-russia-sanctions-zelensky-calls-move-wrong" category: "Politics" area: "Ukraine" published: "2026-10-18T11:45:58.522Z" source_reported: "2026-10-18T11:24:51.944Z" updated: "2026-10-18T12:45:11.628Z" trust_score: 42 critic_score: 59 hype_score: 41 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-10-18T12:45:11.596685+00:00" --- # Trump waives Russia sanctions, Zelensky calls move 'wrong' *US President Donald Trump signed an order to suspend penalties targeting Russia's energy and defense sectors.* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 42 of 100, higher is better. Central claim attributed to Zelenskyy, with two outlets quoting him directly. - Craft 59 of 100, higher is better. Two outlets provided full reports, while four provided digests. One report was thin. - Hype 41 of 100, lower is better. Headlines and digests used loaded language like 'condemns' and 'celebrates'. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - US President Donald Trump signed an executive order waiving sweeping sanctions targeting Russia's energy revenues. - The sanctions were aimed at Russia's energy and defence sectors, as well as Vladimir Putin and a 'shadow fleet' of tankers. - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated the waiver was 'wrong' and 'rewards' Russia, particularly as Russia had attacked Ukrainian power facilities on the same day. - A Putin envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, described the suspension as an 'important and truly historic moment'. US President Donald Trump signed an executive order that waived new sanctions targeting Russia's energy revenues. The sanctions, established by the Lindsey Graham Act, were intended to pressure Russia's energy and defence sectors. They also targeted Vladimir Putin and a 'shadow fleet' of tankers used to circumvent Western measures. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Trump's decision was 'wrong' and 'rewards' Russia. He noted that the waiver came on the same day Russia attacked 15 critical power generation facilities across Ukraine. Zelenskyy warned that Russia was attempting to leave millions of Ukrainians without electricity and heating ahead of winter. ## Disagreement on the impact of the waiver Arab News reported that Zelenskyy warned Moscow wants to deprive 'millions' of Ukrainians of heat and electricity before winter. Reuters reported Zelenskyy stating on social media, 'It definitely helps only the Russians'. ## What the coverage left out None of the centre or right-rated reports mentioned the specific figure of $1.2bn in relation to the sanctions or energy revenues. The reports also did not detail the specific mechanisms or amounts of the sanctions being waived beyond targeting energy revenues, defence sectors, Putin, and the 'shadow fleet'. ## Who covered it Shares of the 8 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 13% (1) - Centre: 24% (2) - Right: 63% (5) 0 of 8 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-10-18T12:45:11.596685+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 8 times; 1 check found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-10-18T13:45:10.760Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left No separate framing summary. ### Centre - The centre-rated reports led with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's criticism of the sanctions waiver. Both CBS News and Reuters highlighted Zelenskyy's statement that the move was 'wrong'. Reuters quoted Zelenskyy directly on social media saying, 'It definitely helps only the Russians'. ### Right - Right-rated reports focused on Zelenskyy's condemnation of the waiver, with headlines from Arab News, London Loves Business, and The Straits Times stating it 'rewards' Putin or is a 'reversal'. Arab News provided the most detail, reporting Zelenskyy's warning that Moscow wants to cause a 'blackout' in Ukraine and that the waiver 'rewards' Putin. NHK World's digest also stated Zelenskyy called the waiver 'wrong'. **Provisional coverage gap:** left. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - low: 2 - high: 4 - veryHigh: 2 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [EADaily](https://eadaily.com/ru/news/2026/10/18/v-es-opisali-reakciyu-zelenskogo-na-reshenie-trampa-kloun-vzbesilsya) — In the EU, Zelensky's Reaction to Trump's Decision Was Described: the Clown Was Pissed Off. - [NHK World](https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/news/20261018de61071) — Zelenskyy: Trump's Russia sanctions waiver wrong - [London Loves Business](https://londonlovesbusiness.com/zelensky-condemns-trumps-sanctions-reversal-as-moscow-celebrates-historic-reprieve) — Zelensky condemns Trump’s sanctions reversal as Moscow celebrates ‘historic’ reprieve - London Business News - [CBS News](https://cbsnews.com/video/zelenskyy-says-trumps-decision-to-waive-new-sanctions-on-russia-seems-wrong) — Zelenskyy says Trump's decision to waive new sanctions on Russia "seems wrong" - [Record and Landmark](https://statesville.com/eedition/mapping/article_077ddad4-a813-5351-8cdc-6085b86cd547.html) — TRUMP WAIVES RUSSIA SANCTIONS - [The Straits Times](https://straitstimes.com/world/united-states/zelenskiy-criticizes-trumps-waiver-of-sanctions-on-russia-as-wrong) — Zelensky criticises Trump’s waiver of sanctions on Russia as ‘wrong’ - [Arab News](https://arabnews.com/world/zelensky-says-trump-waiving-sanctions-rewards-putin-warns-moscow-wants-blackout-in-ukraine-3006837-3006839) — Zelensky says Trump waiving sanctions ‘rewards’ Putin, warns Moscow wants ‘blackout’ in Ukraine - [Reuters](https://reuters.com/world/europe/trump-waives-many-russia-related-sanctions-tariffs-before-they-were-take-effect-2026-10-17) — Zelenskiy criticizes Trump's waiver of sanctions on Russia as 'wrong' ## Questions **What did Donald Trump do regarding sanctions on Russia?** US President Donald Trump signed an executive order waiving new sanctions that had been targeting Russia's energy revenues, energy and defence sectors, Vladimir Putin, and a 'shadow fleet' of tankers. **How did Ukraine's President Zelenskyy react to the sanctions waiver?** President Zelenskyy stated that President Trump's decision was 'wrong' and 'rewards' Russia. He also warned that Moscow was trying to cause a 'blackout' in Ukraine ahead of winter by attacking energy facilities. **What was the reaction from Russia to the sanctions waiver?** A Putin envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, described the suspension of the sanctions as an 'important and truly historic moment'. Other Russian officials also celebrated the move. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/trump-waives-russia-sanctions-zelensky-calls-move-wrong. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Trump waives Russia sanctions, Zelensky calls move 'wrong'", https://mediabias.news/politics/trump-waives-russia-sanctions-zelensky-calls-move-wrong