WASHINGTON, October 16 — President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday waiving major sanctions and tariffs on Russia mandated by the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, just two days before the measures were set to take effect. In the order, Trump said he had submitted to Congress a certification that the issuance of such a waiver is in the national interests of the United States.
The executive order freezes upcoming tariffs of up to 100 percent that were slated to hit the top five importers of Russian crude oil and gas, as well as restrictions aimed at Russia’s “shadow fleet” of oil tankers and its energy and defense sectors. The move comes after Trump struck a deal with Russia to release more Russian diesel into global markets and announced an energy infrastructure ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the waiver would constitute a 60‑day pause to “analyze” the impact of the sanctions and tariffs on the global economy and on the United States. “These conflicts around the world are starting to crash into each other,” Rubio told reporters, citing the U.S. war with Iran and Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia as factors driving energy prices higher.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky criticized the waiver as “wrong,” writing on X that the decision “definitely helps only the Russians” and “only feeds their satisfaction and their desire to continue killing people”. He said he feared the United States would lift further sanctions on Moscow.
The waiver drew bipartisan criticism in Congress. Republican Senator Thom Tillis called the move “beyond irresponsible,” while Senator Ted Cruz described it as “a mistake.” Democratic Representative Don Beyer said Trump’s “latest surrender to Putin again betrays our Ukrainian partners.”
Russian investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev welcomed the decision as “a truly historic moment”. The Kremlin has not issued a formal statement on the waiver.
The sanctions law, named after the late Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, was signed by Trump in mid‑September and was scheduled to take effect on October 18.