トランプ米大統領 irrevocable sanctions against major buyers of Russian oil and gas

なぜ重要か

The pause weakens sanctions intended to increase the costs for major buyers of Russian energy and restrict other channels that support Russia’s war economy. It also exposed sharp divisions among U.S. lawmakers from both parties. Trump linked the policy reversal to efforts to obtain Stephen Hubbard’s release, which occurred shortly afterward, while Congress was on recess and therefore unable to respond immediately.

何が起きたか

On October 16, Trump paused the implementation of sanctions against major buyers of Russian oil and gas provided for by H.R. 5334. The president said the decision reflected U.S. national interests, questioned the usefulness of additional sanctions and dismissed their advocates as “stupid people.” He also said Moscow merely laughs at such restrictions and questioned whether it made sense to seek Hubbard’s release while simultaneously sanctioning Russia.

On October 17, Trump signed an order canceling some sanctions, restrictions and tariffs relating to Russia that had been provided for under the Graham law. Earlier, on October 9, the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control issued General License No. 135, allowing transactions involving Russian diesel fuel.

H.R. 5334 had expanded sanctions on Russian officials, banks and vessels involved in circumventing restrictions on Russian energy trade, prohibited new U.S. investments in Russia and purchases of Russian sovereign debt, and established tariffs on Russian goods and secondary tariffs on major buyers of Russian oil and gas. The law also provided for mandatory sanctions against key sectors of the Russian economy.

The decision was made amid strong criticism from legislators of both parties. On October 14, a bipartisan group of 12 senators called on Trump to revoke General License No. 135 and fully implement the Graham law, describing the diesel-fuel arrangement as a betrayal of the Ukrainian people. On October 22, 22 lawmakers from the Democratic and Republican parties urged Trump to apply the sanctions immediately and in full.

ウクライナメディアの見方

Ukrainian media foregrounded Trump’s criticism of sanctions advocates and the consequences of the policy change for Ukraine. The coverage placed the decision within the dispute over the diesel-fuel license, the full implementation of the Graham law and congressional allegations that the arrangement amounted to a betrayal of the Ukrainian people.

報道の食い違い

Accounts differ over the timing and sequence of congressional approval and the president’s signature of H.R. 5334. The synthesis records September 18, 2026, as the date Trump signed the law, while one account states that Congress finally adopted it on September 17.

背景

Trump signed H.R. 5334 on September 18 and set a 30-day implementation period ending on October 18. The law expanded sanctions on Russian officials, banks and vessels involved in circumventing restrictions on Russian energy trade, and prohibited new U.S. investments in Russia and purchases of Russian sovereign debt. It also established tariffs on Russian goods and secondary tariffs on major buyers of Russian oil and gas. The U.S. Treasury issued General License No. 135 on October 9, allowing transactions involving Russian diesel fuel.

Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old former teacher from Michigan, was captured by Russian forces in Ukraine in April 2022. A Russian court convicted him of allegedly fighting for Ukraine as a mercenary, while the United States declared him unlawfully detained. He was released on October 21 during special envoy Steve Witkoff’s visit to Saint Petersburg. Trump said he had requested Hubbard’s release and denied that a prisoner exchange occurred; the Kremlin cited humanitarian considerations.