President Donald Trump has suspended a sweeping package of new sanctions and tariffs on Russia, two days before they were due to take effect under a law he signed just last month. In an executive order signed late Friday, October 16, Trump said the waiver “is in the national interests of the United States,” according to Reuters.
The decision drew sharp criticism from lawmakers in both parties and from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who said it “only helps the Russians,” NBC News reported.
What Trump waived
The law, the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, is named for the late South Carolina senator, who worked on the bill before his death this summer. The Senate passed it 86-11, the House approved it on September 16, and Trump signed it on September 18, according to CNBC and PBS News. Most of its provisions were set to start on October 18.
According to ABC News, the order waives every operative section of the law that deals with Russia, including:
- Tariffs of up to 500% on all Russian goods, including oil and gas
- Tariffs of up to 100% on the top five buyers of Russian crude oil and natural gas, a group that may include China and India
- Sanctions on foreign banks that do significant business with Russian state-owned banks
- Bans on buying Russian sovereign debt and on U.S. investment in Russia
Sanctions already imposed on Russia through earlier executive orders remain in place. However, ABC News reported that the order also waives the provision requiring those sanctions to stay in place, which would allow the president to change them on his own. The waiver lasts until Trump or the secretary of state decides “further action is appropriate.”
The diesel connection
The move comes about a week after Trump announced a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to release “hundreds of thousands of tons” of Russian diesel onto the global market, and after the administration temporarily waived sanctions on Russian diesel exports through April 2027. Diesel prices have risen almost 70% since the war in Iran began in February, according to NBC News. OneNews reported earlier on the backlash to the diesel deal.
Kirill Dmitriev, Putin’s economic envoy, welcomed the waiver on X, calling it “an important and truly historic moment,” CNBC reported.
Bipartisan backlash
Several Republicans broke with the president. Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina called the decision “beyond irresponsible” and asked, “What part of enforcing a law passed 86-11 by the Senate does the President and his advisors not understand?” Sen. John Cornyn of Texas wrote, “Lindsey would be appalled.” Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska said “the president is prolonging the war, not ending it,” according to NBC News.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said that “by giving the Russian economy life support, Trump’s deal with the devil keeps getting dirtier.” Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, introduced legislation Friday to block the diesel deal, PBS News reported.
Zelenskyy called the decision an “American sanctions blackout” and said easing pressure on Moscow “only encourages him to continue his attacks,” as Ukraine braces for a winter of Russian strikes on its energy grid.
What happens next
Congress is in recess until after the November 3 midterm elections, so lawmakers have little immediate chance to challenge the waiver, according to Al Jazeera. The law requires the White House to send Congress a report explaining its reasons, and Trump said that report has been delivered.
Sources: Reuters, CNBC, ABC News, NBC News, PBS News, Al Jazeera
