Trump Waives Graham Act Sanctions On Russia Before They Take Effect

WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump has waived nearly all substantive sanctions, tariffs, and restrictions included in a bipartisan law aimed at pressuring Russia to end its war against Ukraine, prompting sharp criticism from Ukraine advocates and lawmakers from both parties who say the move undermines efforts to force Moscow to negotiate.

In an executive order signed late on October 16, Trump said withholding the measures was in the national interest of the United States. The order came just two days before the sanctions package was due to take effect on October 18.

The legislation, known as the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, was signed into law by Trump in September. It was named posthumously for Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a prominent congressional supporter of Ukraine who died on July 11.

The law was designed to give the administration additional leverage over Russian President Vladimir Putin by authorizing tariffs of up to 100 percent on major purchasers of Russian oil and gas, including China and India, and providing for sanctions targeting Russian officials, financial institutions, and the country's so-called shadow fleet of tankers used to circumvent existing restrictions.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded on October 17 by saying that it was an unfortunate decision to backtrack on the sanctions at a time when "pressure is needed"

"At a time when the Russians have carried out such a massive attack on our energy sector, a decision was unfortunately made in America to completely disregard the Lindsey Graham Act, which was supposed to impose truly effective pressure on Russia to bring this war to an end," Zelenskyy wrote on X. "This Act could have helped enormously -- and still can! But it needs to actually work, and every voice in support of it matters."

"Russia is trying to cause a blackout in Ukraine -- right before winter," he said. "Russia is trying to leave millions of our people without electricity and heating. Pressure is needed to stop this. A U.S. sanctions blackout, easing pressure on the aggressor, financial rewards for Putin -- all of this only encourages him to keep attacking."

Trump's decision to waive the measures has raised questions about whether his administration intends to use the economic pressure Congress sought to place on Moscow to compel an end to the war.

In the order, Trump said the legislation authorized him to waive the application of sanctions provisions against foreign individuals. He said he had submitted a certification to Congress that issuing the waiver was in the national interest.

The law also requires the administration to provide a report explaining the basis for that certification. The report must be submitted in unclassified form, although it may include a classified annex.

The White House has not publicly detailed, in the material provided for this report, the substantive justification for waiving the law's major provisions.

'A Cruel Policy Choice'

Mykola Murskyj, director of advocacy at Razom for Ukraine, a US-based nonprofit supporting Ukraine, told RFE/RL that Trump had squandered an opportunity to increase pressure on Putin.

"Trump squandered a golden opportunity to bring peace to Ukraine," Murskyj said.

He said lawmakers had spent months building bipartisan support for the legislation, which included tariffs on countries buying Russian oil, restrictions on purchases of Russian sovereign debt, and limits on new investments in Russia.

"All that has been erased in a late-night order Friday from the White House," Murskyj said.

He also questioned the duration of the waivers. "Shockingly, these waivers don't even have an expiration date," he said.

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Razom condemned the decision in a separate statement, saying that refusing to use the tools available to pressure Russia was a deliberate policy choice.

"Lacking the tools to end this war would be a tragedy. Having them and refusing to use them is a cruel policy choice," said Daniel Balson, Razom's director of advocacy.

Balson said the legislation had been painstakingly negotiated by a bipartisan group of senators working with White House officials over several months before winning substantial support in both chambers of Congress.

"Today's implementation order signals to the Kremlin that it can continue its invasion," he said, adding that Ukrainians would continue fighting despite mounting humanitarian and energy challenges.

In the week before the waiver, Russia reportedly launched more than 700 drones, along with ballistic and cruise missiles, against Ukrainian cities and power plants.

Questions Over Justification, Deadlines

The decision has also raised questions about what explanation the Trump administration provided to Congress for setting aside the sanctions and tariff provisions.

Max Meizlish, a former official at the US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control who is now deputy director of the Center on Economic and Financial Power at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told RFE/RL that the administration's justification was now a central issue.

"The question now is what substantive justification the administration provided Congress for waiving virtually every major sanctions and tariff provision of legislation that passed with bipartisan support," Meizlish said.

Under the law, the administration must submit a written certification that the waiver is in the national interest, along with a report explaining the basis for that determination. The reporting requirements are intended to provide Congress with an account of the reasoning behind the administration's decision.

Separately, Section 113 of the law sets out requirements for providing written justification to relevant congressional committees in connection with the imposition of tariffs. Sources familiar with the matter told RFE/RL that the administration had missed an October 8 deadline related to those requirements.

The waiver also follows a separate decision by Trump to permit Russian diesel sales amid concerns over rising fuel prices and global supply shortages.

Trump said last week that Russia could immediately supply 300,000 tons of diesel, followed by another 500,000 tons in November and then 1 million tons "immediately thereafter."

The waiver comes as the administration seeks to bring down US fuel prices ahead of November's midterm elections, which will determine control of Congress. Energy prices have also been affected by the US war in Iran.

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It has drawn criticism from both Republican and Democratic lawmakers who had supported the Graham legislation and urged the president to implement it fully, as well as from Ukraine and its European allies. Zelenskyy called it "a gift" for Putin.

Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat and co-author of the bill, accused Trump of siding with Putin and the networks that sustain Russia's war effort.

"Donald Trump confirms again that he stands on the side of a bloodthirsty thug and the enablers of Russia's war machine," Blumenthal wrote on social media, arguing the decision ran counter to the views of most Americans, members of Congress, and European allies.

"These waivers have nothing to do with our national security, and everything to do with sucking up to Vladimir Putin," he added.

Republican Representative Don Bacon also criticized the president's move, saying: "The President is prolonging the war, not ending it."

On October 16, Representative Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, introduced bipartisan legislation to block Trump's proposed deal to buy diesel from Russia.

The deal "will hand Putin millions of dollars to continue slaughtering Ukrainian civilians with impunity," Meeks said, urging Congress to pass the legislation.