Trump waives Russia sanctions and tariffs days before Graham Act deadline

US President Donald Trump has waived the sanctions, restrictions and duties that were days from taking effect under the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, under an executive order released by the White House on Friday (Reuters, https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/trump-waives-many-russia-related-sanctions-tariffs-before-they-were-take-effect-2026-10-17/).

Trump signed the Act, championed by the late Senator Lindsey Graham who died in July, in mid-September. It would have imposed tariffs of up to 100% within 30 days on goods from the top five importers of Russian crude oil and gas, and on countries knowingly buying Russian oil or helping Moscow evade sanctions, as well as up to 500% tariffs on US imports of Russian energy products (Reuters; Business Standard, https://www.business-standard.com/world-news/trump-waives-russia-energy-tariffs-and-sanctions-under-graham-law-126101700093_1.html).

The order invokes the Act’s Section 115 waiver clause, suspending duties under Sections 112 and 113 and sanctions under Sections 102(a), 102(e), 103–111 and 117, while formally imposing them so Trump can apply them later. Sanctions from earlier executive orders remain in place (Economic Times, https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/world-news/trump-waives-certain-sanctions-tariffs-on-russia-under-lindsey-graham-act-as-us-retains-power-to-reimpose-measures/articleshow/135005730.cms).

“I have submitted to the Congress a certification that the issuance of such a waiver at this time is in the national interests of the United States,” Trump said in the order. The waiver spares major buyers of Russian oil — India, China and Turkey — and conflicts with his plan to work with Vladimir Putin to release Russian diesel into global markets. A bipartisan group of senators signed a letter this week demanding he rescind the diesel deal and enforce the Act (Business Standard).