Trump waives several Russia sanctions as row with Zelensky intensifies

Donald Trump has used his presidential authority to block numerous sanctions on Russia two days before they were due to take effect, as a row with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky deepens.The sanctions were passed by the US Congress and signed into law by Trump in September. But the US president issued an executive order on Friday night saying that withholding some was in the US "national interest", prompting a backlash from US lawmakers.It comes as tensions between Washington and Kyiv fray again - culminating in accusations of the Trump administration withdrawing key military support - over a controversial deal to import diesel struck by the US with Russia last week.Trump and Zelensky have exchanged sharp words about one another throughout the week. Ukraine's president barbed that it was nice to be among "real leaders" while addressing an EU summit, after Trump said he was "more difficult to deal with" than Russian President Vladimir Putin.The new US sanctions law took aim at Russia's economy, giving Trump broad powers to levy tariffs of up to 100% on imports from the top five purchasers of Russian oil and gas – most significantly China and India.It also included sanct...