Making Daily Headlines · Page 5
Sanctions Receive an Exception to Their Own Announcement
· New York time
President Trump has waived broad new Russia-related sanctions before they take effect, CNBC reports. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the move as wrong. Trump signed the Graham Bill targeting Russia over its invasion of Ukraine into law in September. The waiver changes the implementation of restrictions recently enacted into law. It also sharpens disagreement with Ukraine's president over the pressure Washington should apply to Moscow. A policy can arrive with legislative ceremony and then encounter a second ceremony devoted to not applying parts of it. For businesses and governments affected by sanctions, implementation is the part that determines practical obligations. The text of a law and the restrictions currently operating are not always identical, particularly when waivers enter the picture. Washington has produced both a framework and an argument about which portions should be switched on. A signed law makes a powerful photograph. Its operation involves less photogenic questions about timing, scope and exceptions, none of which reliably fits on the ceremonial pen. Congress unveiled a toolbox; the White House has kept several tools inside. Zelenskyy's response suggests the person closest to the leaking roof is not reassured by the tidiness of the storage arrangement.
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