President Donald Trump said suspending several Russian sanctions was intended to keep Moscow engaged in negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. The measures were blocked two days before they were due to take effect. Trump said he did not want to drive Russia away from the bargaining table, while also accusing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of not wanting to end the war. Zelensky has repeatedly said he wants the fighting to stop and that Russian President Vladimir Putin does not want peace. The decision adds to a U.S. policy shift that has strained relations with Kyiv, following a deal to import Russian diesel and Ukrainian accusations that the Trump administration is withdrawing key military support. Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev called the suspension a historic moment and said the sanctions would have harmed U.S. and global markets. The dispute has played out alongside U.S.-mediated efforts to arrange renewed talks, which Zelensky had been coordinating with U.S. envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff. Zelensky has warned that siding with Putin would be a historic mistake, while Trump has criticized him as harder to deal with than the Russian leader.