Trump Waives Russia Sanctions Days Before They Were to Take Effect
President Donald Trump has waived a broad set of sanctions on Russia passed by Congress over its war in Ukraine, acting two days before they were due to take effect on 18 October. BBC
The action came in an executive order dated 16 October. The order said holding back some of the measures is in the national interests of the United States.
It relies on Section 115 of the law, which authorizes the president to waive the application of any sanctions provision with respect to a foreign person. White House The law allows a waiver when the president informs Congress that he has determined the measures are not in the national interest. Reuters
The law at issue is formally titled the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026. Trump signed it in mid-September. It is named for the late Republican senator from South Carolina, Lindsey Graham, who died on 11 July.
The act gave Trump power to levy tariffs, which are taxes on imported goods, of up to 100% on the top five purchasers of Russian oil and gas, most significantly China and India. It also included sanctions, penalties that can restrict trade and financial activity, on Russian President Vladimir Putin, senior Russian government figures, banks and financial institutions, and Russia's 'shadow fleet' of tankers used to circumvent sanctions.
The law set 18 October as the deadline for Trump to impose sweeping new sanctions and tariffs on Russian energy. Two days earlier, a bipartisan group of 20 lawmakers issued a letter urging Trump to fully implement the law without delay.
Separately, Trump said he had held a phone call with Putin and agreed for the United States to purchase diesel fuel from Moscow. He said the imports would bring down U.S. energy prices before November midterm elections deciding control of Congress. The administration also lifted sanctions on Russian diesel exports in an effort to lower U.S. diesel prices. Reuters
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the U.S.-Russia diesel deal a gift to Putin amounting to an investment in a war that must be ended.
