President Donald Trump waived two key provisions of the Graham Act, which would have raised duties on Russian goods and imposed tariffs on top buyers of Russian oil and gas. The order keeps existing Russia sanctions in place. A Russian envoy praised the move, a Democratic senator condemned it, and Ukraine's president warned of further sanctions relief.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order late Friday waiving parts of a recently enacted sanctions package aimed at curbing Russia's ability to wage war against Ukraine. Trump said he had submitted to Congress a certification that the waiver is in the national interests of the United States.
What the waiver covers
The House passed the bill on Sept. 16, and Trump signed it into law two days later. Titled the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, it targeted Russia's economy over its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The act required the president to raise duties on all Russian goods imported into the U.S. by up to 500% within 30 days of enactment. It also required tariffs of up to 100% on countries such as China and India that rank among the top five buyers of Russian crude oil or gas.
Trump's order waives those two parts two days before the law's implementation deadline. However, it preserves existing sanctions on Russia under earlier executive orders.
Diesel relief came first
The move follows a step taken a week earlier, when the administration temporarily waived sanctions on Russian diesel exports through April 2027 to ease a supply crunch caused by the war in Iran. High fuel prices are a sensitive issue for voters ahead of midterm elections on Nov. 3.
Praise from Moscow, criticism at home
Kirill Dmitriev, economy envoy to Russian President Vladimir Putin, called the suspension an important and truly historic moment. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat who also drafted the act, condemned the waiver.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned in Brussels that the diesel agreement could set a precedent. According to CNBC: "Sanctions will be lifted after gas," Zelenskyy said, adding that relief could then extend to the banking system, certain individuals and the chemical industry.
Source: CNBC
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