Nigeria

Abuja, October 17, 2026. Nigerian media are covering the suspension of Russian sanctions from two complementary angles: Washington's economic reasons and Kiev's reaction.

According to Nigerian Eye, Donald Trump signed a decree on Friday, October 16, which waives several provisions of the sanctions, trade restrictions, and customs duties imposed by Congress. He cites the "national interest of the United States". The exemption comes "barely a month" after the law was enacted, and a few days before it was due to come into effect. The text had provided for customs duties of up to 100% on goods imported from the five largest buyers of Russian oil or gas, whose purchases finance the Kremlin's war effort. Trump transmitted a certification and a justifying report to Congress. The exemption remains in effect until he or the Secretary of State deems a new action appropriate, and does not affect the sanctions resulting from previous decrees.

The site devotes an entire section to the motivations behind the decision. The measure follows the announcement of a supply of Russian diesel intended to lower global energy prices, an agreement criticized by 12 American senators, including six Republicans, who are asking Trump to withdraw it. Trump attributes the price increase to Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries. As the mid-term elections approach, more expensive fuel could weigh on Republicans who hold only narrow majorities in both chambers. The text notes that Trump did not explicitly link the exemption to the diesel agreement, but that the decision gives his administration more latitude on Russian energy trade. It also signals that Trump "seems to disagree" with Volodymyr Zelensky.

Vanguard Nigeria gives the floor to Kiev. On Saturday, October 17, Zelensky estimated that the decision "rewards" Vladimir Putin and warned that Moscow is seeking to deprive "millions" of Ukrainians of heating and electricity before winter. He recalls that Russia targeted 15 power generation facilities on the same day as the decision, in one of the largest attacks on the energy network. For him, a "blackout" of American sanctions only encourages Putin to continue the strikes; the law, he says, "could still" help enormously. The newspaper recalls that the law, named after the late Senator Lindsey Graham, also targeted the Russian energy and defense sectors, Putin, and the "ghost fleet" of oil tankers, in the fifth year of the offensive.