Pausing Sanctions

President Trump put sweeping new sanctions on Russia back in the broom closet.

Friday, #47 signed an executive order that paused sanctions and major tariffs on Russian oil buyers two days before they were set to take effect. The White House said it’s in America’s “national interest” to pause implementation of the Lindsey Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, a bipartisan law Trump signed on September 18.

The 60-day suspension, which the State Department says is aimed at analyzing global economic impacts, comes a week after the president agreed to buy Russian diesel to bring down gas prices.

Critics from both sides of the aisle and around the world suggest the recent decisions will power Russia’s war machine; Russia and Ukraine are currently targeting each other’s energy infrastructure ahead of winter.

ABOVE ALL, LOVE
The good news of the gospel is that God loved us while we were His enemies. His love compels us to love our enemies—political, international, or otherwise—so that the world may see His love through us.

“For the love of Christ compels us, since we have reached this conclusion, that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all so that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for the one who died for them and was raised.”
2 Corinthians 5:14-15 (CSB) (read full passage)