Trump waives Graham Act sanctions on Russia days before they take effect

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on October 16 waiving the bulk of new sanctions, restrictions and duties that Congress had approved under the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026. The measures were due to take effect two days later.

The law, which Trump signed in September, authorized tariffs of up to 100 percent on goods from the five largest importers of Russian crude oil and natural gas, as well as additional sanctions on Russian officials, financial institutions and the shadow tanker fleet. Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who died in July, had been the principal congressional sponsor. The legislation gave the president authority to waive provisions if he certified to Congress that doing so served the national interests of the United States.

Trump invoked that clause. His order states that he has submitted the required certification and a report explaining the decision. The waiver remains in effect until he or senior officials determine that further action is appropriate. It does not lift sanctions imposed under earlier executive orders.

The decision follows a recent arrangement in which Russia agreed to release diesel onto world markets amid elevated U.S. fuel prices linked to the ongoing conflict with Iran. Trump has also spoken of talks with Moscow and Beijing on nuclear issues and has publicly criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Critics in both parties argued the waiver undercuts the economic pressure Congress intended to apply to compel an end to the war in Ukraine that began in 2022.

India and China rank among the largest remaining buyers of Russian oil. The waived tariffs would have applied to their imports into the United States. The European Union has already reduced its own Russian gas purchases substantially. The order directs administration officials to monitor countries that continue to import Russian energy or help evade existing restrictions.

The practical effect is that the sharpest new economic tools the law created will not operate for now. Russian crude and refined products can continue to reach major Asian buyers without the automatic 100 percent U.S. tariff that the statute had prescribed. Whether the waiver produces lower fuel prices in the United States, or simply preserves existing trade flows, will be measured in the coming weeks of price and volume data.