US President Donald Trump has exempted Russia from a new round of sanctions, according to Le Monde.fr, which is tracking international reaction to the decision. The French outlet reported on Saturday, October 17, 2026, that the move removes a major piece of legislation that had been intended to impose fresh penalties on Moscow.
Coverage of the decision across French media was sharply critical. Le Monde.fr ran a piece under the headline "Ukraine: Donald Trump's betrayal," while Le HuffPost reported that Trump scrapped a planned package of sanctions against Vladimir Putin by striking down the law. Les Echos also reported the exemption.
Ukraine reacted quickly. According to Orange Actualités, Kyiv denounced the decision as an "encouragement" for Putin — a charge carried in the outlet's headline on the story.
The reports, as summarized here, do not detail the legal mechanism Trump used, the specific measures dropped, or the full scope of the sanctions involved. They also do not specify which other governments have responded or what they said.
What is clear from the coverage is the framing: French outlets presented the exemption as a significant shift in Washington's sanctions posture toward Moscow, and Kyiv's response framed it as a boost to the Russian president.
The next developments to watch are the official responses from European capitals and whether the exemption holds as announced, as Le Monde.fr continues its live coverage of international reactions.
