US President Donald Trump said on Friday that he is waiving many sanctions, restrictions and duties days before they were to take effect under the Russia sanctions law he signed last month, telling Congress he had certified that the waiver is in the national interests of the United States, Reuters reported. The executive order suspends much of the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, whose centrepiece was tariffs of up to 100% on goods imported into the US from the five largest buyers of Russian crude oil and gas. CNN reported the waived slate relates to Russian fossil fuel sales, and that the order did not specify why the decision served the national interest.
What did the waived law provide for?
The legislation, whose primary backer in Congress was the late Senator Lindsey Graham, would have imposed tariffs of up to 100% within 30 days on all goods brought into the US from the five largest importers of Russian crude oil or gas, as well as on any country that knowingly bought Russian oil or gas 30 days after the law was enacted or was among the top five countries helping Russia evade sanctions, Reuters reported. Trump signed the act in mid-September. Countries such as India, which is among the biggest buyers of Russian oil, had raised concerns about the bill, Reuters noted. In the order released by the White House on Friday, Trump said: "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." CNN reported the waiver will remain in effect until the Trump administration determines that "further action is appropriate."
How was the waiver received?
The decision drew criticism from both parties in Washington and praise from Moscow. Kirill Dmitriev, head of Russia's sovereign wealth fund, hailed the waiver in a post on X as "an important and truly historic moment," adding that "economic cooperation between Russia and the United States serves the interest of both nations," CNN reported. Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren called it an "abject and predictable failure in leadership," citing "strong bipartisan support" for Ukraine. Republican Representative Don Bacon said Trump "is prolonging the war, not ending it." Representative Don Beyer wrote on X that the waiver "betrays our Ukrainian partners and defies clear congressional intent," and Senator Richard Blumenthal, who helped draft the bill, said on X: "These waivers have nothing to do with our national security, and everything to do with sucking up to Vladimir Putin." The quotes are the speakers' stated positions, published as their criticism of the decision.
Why does the waiver matter for the war?
Reuters reported the executive order comes as Trump has been warming toward Russia and publicly criticising Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, including suggesting that Ukraine needs a new leader. CNN reported that the White House has heaped pressure on Ukraine to halt strikes on Russian oil facilities as it seeks to ease oil prices ahead of midterm elections at home, that Ukraine briefly acceded to the request but has since resumed attacks, and that Russia has continued to strike Ukraine's energy infrastructure throughout the week. The waiver also follows last week's deal allowing Russian diesel exports, which CNN reported blindsided European leaders and which Zelenskiy said left him feeling betrayed. Ties have also been strained by the apparent withdrawal of US intelligence sharing and by restrictions on the military-grade Starlink service, Starshield, which Ukrainian authorities said disrupted drone missions and early-warning systems; Zelenskiy said on Friday the service had improved but had not yet been fully restored, CNN reported. Trump, in a Newsmax interview on Thursday, said: "I find Zelensky to be more difficult to deal with than Putin." In contrast to Washington, European Union leaders said they were preparing a new package of sanctions against Russia — the 22nd since the full-scale invasion — and stressed that sanctions would be strengthened unless President Vladimir Putin stops the war, CNN reported.
Attribution note: the waiver, the law's provisions and the certification language are documented facts reported by Reuters and CNN from the executive order released by the White House on Friday. The characterisations of the decision quoted above are the stated views of the named officials and of Russia's sovereign wealth fund head, published as their positions, not as established findings.
