New announcements on Trump's eased sanctions - 60 day pause

It was in a presidential order on Friday that Donald Trump announced that he was lifting sanctions, restrictions and tariffs on certain goods linked to Russia. The measure comes into effect this Sunday. It is described as being in the "national interest of the United States".

However, when the president was asked about the decision on Saturday, he said that it is not final.

- Many of you do not know what my decision is yet, but we will find out. You will understand, Trump said at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, according to Reuters.

The presidential order does not state how long the sanctions relief will apply. But Secretary of State Marco Rubio comes up with an answer: 60 days.

- I think the president wants to use the 60-day period to analyze what it would mean for the global economy and also for the US economy to introduce both sanctions and tariffs, he says.

The foreign minister points out that the sanctions being reviewed also cover a number of other countries, such as India.

- We need that period of time to examine all this and arrive at the right combination.

The sanctions package was spearheaded by Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who died in July. For example, it includes tariffs of up to 100 percent on goods brought into the United States from the five largest importing countries of Russian oil or gas.

Last week, the US also decided to temporarily lift sanctions on Russian diesel, following what was described as a successful phone call between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

If Friday's presidential order now leads to 60 days of sanctions relief, the pause will extend past the November 3 midterm elections. Only 44 days after that, on December 17, the time expires.

At the same time, the sanctions relief has been met with criticism. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he feels "betrayed" and "betrayed", as if Trump has chosen sides in the war.

Several European leaders also reacted strongly when they gathered in Brussels on Thursday.

- Europe has a huge responsibility to continue supporting Ukraine. We need more unity for Ukraine and more unity towards Russia, not the other way around, said Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.

Donald Trump has also received criticism from some party colleagues. Thom Tillis, a Republican senator from North Carolina, writes on X that the decision is "beyond irresponsible" and that the administration is "capitulating to a Russian dictator." In a post on the same platform, Senator John Cornyn of Texas writes:

"Lindsey would be horrified."

Republican Senator Thomas Massie of Kentucky, on the other hand, writes that he is "glad" that Trump is repealing "almost every provision of this idiotic law concerning Russia."