President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday that waived the sweeping Russian sanctions and tariffs enacted by the bill championed by the late Sen. Lindsey Graham.
Trump signed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act into law last month, but he decided to put the legislation on hold indefinitely, saying that doing so is in the “national interests” of the United States.
“Section 115 of the Graham Act authorizes the President to waive the application of any sanctions provision with respect to a foreign person, any restriction with respect to a person, and any duty under the Graham Act, subject to the submission to the Congress of a written certification that such a waiver is in the national interests of the United States and a report explaining the basis for the certification,” Trump wrote in the late-night executive order.
The president confirmed he submitted a written certification to Congress explaining his decision.
Trump has been softening his stance on Russia in recent days.
The waiver comes one week after he announced the U.S. made a deal to purchase Russian diesel in an attempt to bring down global energy prices before the midterm elections. The agreement has drawn bipartisan backlash, as lawmakers worry it’s a sign that the U.S. is undermining Ukraine in its war with Russia.
This is one reason for the renewed tensions that flared between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the past week.
The two world leaders are at odds over whether Ukraine should strike Russian oil refineries in retaliation for Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure. Zelensky gave the order to resume Ukrainian strikes this week, effectively ending a Trump-brokered energy ceasefire that Russia did not honor.
Before announcing the supposed energy-related truce, Trump called on Zelensky to step down and let a newly elected leader take his place. In response, Zelensky said he would organize a presidential election in Ukraine if Russia agrees to a two-month ceasefire. Russia rejected the proposal.
There has also been a dispute over the U.S. allegedly limiting Ukraine’s access to Starshield, a military-grade satellite network created by SpaceXAI and owned by the Department of War. The satellite system slowed down, affecting Ukraine’s ability to use Starshield for battlefield communications and operations.
Regarding the waived bill, the sanctions and tariffs that would have imposed economic leverage on Russia to end its war with Ukraine are no longer taking effect.
Under the measure, Trump had 30 days to impose 100% tariffs on goods from the top five nations that purchase Russian crude oil, place 500% tariffs on U.S. imports of Russian goods, and slap a number of Russian entities with sanctions. The one-month deadline, which started when Trump signed the legislation on Sept. 18, would have expired on Sunday.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), who voted against Graham’s bill in August, sharply criticized the president for waiving it.
“For the past 20 months, Donald Trump has failed to use his broad, existing sanctions authority to disrupt support for Russia’s war machine and to help achieve a just peace for Ukraine,” Warren said in a satement. “Tonight’s announcement is another abject and predictable failure in leadership. By waiving these sanctions, Trump is thumbing his nose at Congress’s direction that he ratchet up pressure on the Kremlin and enabling Vladimir Putin to continue his war of aggression.”
