The timing was striking. On Friday night, two days before a package of sanctions on Russia was due to take effect, President Donald Trump blocked it. The measures had been passed by Congress and signed by Trump himself in September, which made the reversal all the more notable. By Sunday, Moscow's envoy Kirill Dmitriev was calling the decision an "important and truly historic moment", arguing that the penalties would have damaged American and global markets.

Mr Trump's own explanation was framed around diplomacy. Writing on Truth Social, he said he was negotiating peace and did not want to "foolishly" drive Russia away from the bargaining table. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the step more cautiously, as a 60-day pause during which the economic consequences of the sanctions would be studied. Whether the pause is a tactical concession or the start of a wider retreat is the question now dividing capitals.

Kyiv fears the latter. Relations with Washington had already frayed after the United States struck a controversial deal to import Russian diesel, a move intended to ease domestic energy prices. Volodymyr Zelensky told NBC News that siding with Vladimir Putin would be a "historic mistake", and said he expected the administration to lift further sanctions. Mr Trump, for his part, accused the Ukrainian leader of never wanting to end the war.