Why the long pause on Russia sanctions? Democratic senators launch investigation
Three senior Democratic senators have launched an investigation into the Trump administration’s five-month pause on routine sanctions updates against Russia, arguing it has enabled evasion networks to continue fuelling Moscow’s war machine.
Senators Jeanne Shaheen, Elizabeth Warren, and Chris Coons issued a statement condemning what they described as a deliberate weakening of pressure on Russia despite its ongoing attacks on Ukrainian civilians.
‘On top of halting key assistance to Ukraine, President Trump has blocked regular updates to our sanctions and export controls for five months and counting—enabling a growing wave of evaders in China and around the world to continue supplying Russia’s war machine,’ the senators said in their 3 July statement.
They argued the administration’s stance contradicts its stated goal of ending the conflict. ‘Americans should be asking why a president who says he wants to end a major war is instead letting the aggressor run rampant,’ they stated.
The sanctions pause coincides with a broader rollback of US support for Ukraine. The Wall Street Journal reported 2 July that shipments of Patriot air-defence interceptors and other weapons—previously staged in Poland—had been withheld and redirected to Pentagon stockpiles.
This marks the second time the administration has rerouted Ukraine-bound arms, following an earlier decision to divert anti-drone fuzes to US forces in the Middle East.
Shaheen, Warren, and Coons also rejected the administration’s justification that sanctions enforcement could derail diplomatic efforts. ‘The Administration claims that even basic counter-evasion sanctions will derail talks, yet it has repeatedly sanctioned and even bombed Iran while negotiations continue,’ they said.
The senators emphasized that allowing evasion networks to operate unchecked risks compromising the entire enforcement regime, warning that, ‘If we’re not actively updating our controls, we’re falling behind.’
