U.S. President Donald Trump has waived a broad set of sanctions, restrictions and tariffs that were due to be applied under the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026. The executive order, dated October 16, says the waiver is in the national interest of the United States and will remain in place until the president or designated senior officials decide that further action is appropriate.
What the executive order changes
The Graham Act was signed into law on September 18 and created new tools aimed at increasing economic pressure on Russia. The White House order formally establishes the tariff and sanctions authorities but then uses the waiver provision in Section 115 of the law to suspend their application. The order says the administration submitted the required certification and supporting report to Congress.
Among the measures covered by the order are duties on Russian goods, penalties connected to purchases of Russian crude oil and natural gas, and sanctions or restrictions affecting foreign persons. The text set out a 500 percent additional duty on goods from Russia and 100 percent duties on goods from certain major importers of Russian oil and gas, but those duties are covered by the waiver. The order also directs the U.S. Trade Representative and other agencies to continue monitoring Russian energy purchases and sanctions-evasion activity.
The waiver does not erase every Russia-related measure already in force. The executive order explicitly states that sanctions imposed under earlier authorities addressing harmful activities by the Russian government remain unaffected. That distinction means the decision pauses the new Graham Act measures rather than dismantling the entire U.S. sanctions framework against Moscow.
Zelenskyy warns pressure on Moscow will weaken
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticized the decision on October 17, arguing that suspending the new measures would benefit Russia and reduce pressure on the Kremlin. Reuters reported that Zelenskyy linked the waiver to the risk of continued Russian attacks, including strikes against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure as winter approaches.
The Ukrainian leader’s reaction reflects Kyiv’s concern that economic pressure remains one of the main tools available to influence Russia’s conduct of the war. The Graham Act had been viewed in Ukraine as a significant bipartisan mechanism because it combined direct sanctions with possible penalties on countries that purchase Russian energy or help Moscow evade restrictions.
The Associated Press reported that the decision also drew criticism from Democratic lawmakers in Washington. The law had passed with the intention of accelerating restrictions on financial flows linked to Russia’s war effort, but it also gave the president authority to waive measures after certifying that doing so served the national interest.
Energy and trade implications
The suspended provisions could have affected major buyers of Russian oil and gas as well as companies and individuals connected to Russian trade. Reuters reported that the law allowed tariffs of up to 100 percent on goods from countries meeting specified criteria related to Russian energy purchases or sanctions evasion. China and India, both major buyers of Russian oil, had raised objections to the prospect of secondary trade penalties.
For now, the executive order leaves the monitoring system active while holding the new penalties in reserve. The administration can revisit the waiver, and the order gives the president, secretary of state, Treasury officials and the U.S. Trade Representative roles in deciding whether additional action is warranted.
The immediate result is a pause, not a permanent repeal. The legal authorities remain available, but the new sanctions and tariffs will not take effect while the waiver is in force. The decision therefore shifts attention to how the administration evaluates Russian energy trade, the war in Ukraine and domestic economic considerations in the weeks ahead.
