Congress Approved Russia Sanctions. Trump Waived Them Before They Bit.
The president suspended steep tariffs and a broad set of sanctions under a law he signed last month. The move deepens a dispute with Kyiv over Russian energy sales and how to pressure Moscow.
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by Sami Haddad
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President Donald Trump has waived sweeping new sanctions and tariffs aimed at Russia, blocking economic pressure Congress had approved just before the law's first measures were due to begin.
The executive order, signed on October 16, suspends duties including a proposed 500% tariff on Russian goods and 100% tariffs targeting goods from major buyers of Russian energy. The first measures under the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 were due to take effect on October 18.
The decision follows Trump's announcement a week earlier of a deal with Vladimir Putin to bring Russian diesel to the US market. Trump said the arrangement would help reduce energy prices. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called it a gift to Putin and "an investment in a war that must be ended." The waiver now extends the dispute beyond permission for fuel transactions to the wider economic penalties Congress intended to impose.
The Daily Inference reported on October 10 that Washington had authorized Russian diesel transactions through April 7, 2027, while US, Ukrainian and European negotiators worked on a peace proposal. Zelenskyy said renewed fuel sales would give Moscow money for its war.
