Trump Puts the Graham Act's Russia Sanctions on Hold. Kyiv and Senators in Both Parties Push Back.
Two days before the law's tariffs and sanctions were due, the president waived most of them, citing the national interest. Moscow cheered. Zelenskyy called it 'unfortunate.' Here's what the order does and doesn't do.
By Claire Hollister, Politics and Policy
Published · 6 min read
The Overview
The facts, straight
BREAKING / DEVELOPING: This story is developing; details may change. Published Oct. 17, 2026, 4:30 a.m. MT.
President Donald Trump (@realDonaldTrump) signed an executive order Friday, Oct. 16, waiving most of the sanctions, tariffs and restrictions in the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, the law he signed on Sept. 18. "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," the order says.
The timing matters. Under the law, Trump had until Oct. 18 to impose the sanctions and tariffs on Russian energy or waive them, the Guardian reported. He acted two days before that deadline, AP reported.
Post: The New York Times (@nytimes) on X, Oct. 16, 2026.
What the order does, according to its text:
- Waives the law's tariffs. That covers a 500% duty on goods from Russia and 100% duties on goods from the five largest importers of Russian oil and gas, and on the top five countries helping Russia evade oil sanctions.
- Waives most of the law's new sanctions, listed section by section (102(a), 102(d), 102(e) and 103 through 111, plus 117).
- Keeps the older sanctions. "Nothing in this order affects any sanctions or other measures" imposed under existing executive orders on Russia, it says.
- Can be reversed. The waivers stay in effect until the president or secretary of state decides "further action is appropriate." The U.S. trade representative is told to monitor Russian oil and gas buyers and report back.
The order does not explain the reasoning in public. It says a report explaining the basis was sent to Congress, and the White House has not publicly detailed the justification, RFE/RL reported.
A note on names: The law's namesake, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, died in July, the Washington Post noted. His sister, Sen. Darline Graham, was appointed to serve out his term and co-sponsored the bill, NBC News reported.
The waiver follows Trump's Oct. 9 deal to let Russian diesel into global markets and his "energy ceasefire" announcement, which Radio Purple covered in "Trump Opens the Door to Russian Diesel and Announces an 'Energy Ceasefire'."
Moscow welcomed it. "The suspension of some of the provisions of the Graham Act marks an important and truly historic moment," Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev (@kadmitriev) wrote on X.
What the Left Says
The progressive and Democratic case
Democrats, and Ukraine's backers in both parties, call it a gift to the Kremlin. "These waivers have nothing to do with our national security, and everything to do with sucking up to Vladimir Putin," Sen. Richard Blumenthal (@SenBlumenthal), a Connecticut Democrat who was one of four senators to announce the bill's deal with the administration in July, said in a statement, NBC News reported. He called it a "craven, cowardly action."
Critics note that a bipartisan group of 12 senators, including six Republicans, wrote Trump on Oct. 13 urging him to rescind the diesel deal and "implement sanctions authorized by" the Graham Act. "This deal is a gift to our adversary and a betrayal of our Allies; it should be rescinded," the senators wrote, according to Sen. Jeanne Shaheen's (@SenatorShaheen) office. The signers included Republicans Susan Collins (@SenatorCollins), Thom Tillis, Lisa Murkowski, Mitch McConnell, John Cornyn and Alan Armstrong.
Ukraine's president made the same case. "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," Volodymyr Zelenskyy (@ZelenskyyUa) wrote on X on Saturday, after what he called one of Russia's largest attacks on Ukraine's energy grid. "A U.S. sanctions blackout, easing pressure on the aggressor, financial rewards for Putin – all of this only encourages him to keep attacking."
The criticism isn't only from Democrats. "The President is prolonging the war, not ending it," said Rep. Don Bacon (@RepDonBacon), a Nebraska Republican, RFE/RL reported.
Where Reality Likely Sits
Radio Purple's analysis
Both sides are describing the same order accurately. It is legal: the law lets the president do this. It is also a sharp turn: Congress passed these sanctions with strong majorities in both chambers, and the president set nearly all of them aside before a single tariff took effect, without public reasons.
The open question is what comes next. The report sent to Congress may explain the reasoning. Lawmakers who backed the bill may try to narrow the waiver power. And the order itself leaves room to bring the sanctions back if Moscow doesn't move toward peace.
Smart use of flexibility, or a free pass for Putin? Tell us where you land.
What the Right Says
The conservative and Republican case
Supporters say the president used the law exactly as Congress wrote it. The Graham Act includes a waiver in Section 115, and Congress put it there. The order follows that process: a certification to Congress and a report on the basis. Darline Graham, who has Trump's endorsement, said in a debate this week that the law "gives the president tools that he can use, if he so chooses, to end the war through economic sanctions. So that's up to him as to whether or not he wants to use it, or whether he wants to use something else," the Guardian reported.
They also point to prices. Diesel costs have climbed during the wars involving Iran and Ukraine, and Republicans have urged Trump to bring costs down before the midterms, Fox Business reported. Slapping 100% tariffs on the biggest buyers of Russian energy, which NBC News noted may include China and India, would risk a trade shock while fuel prices are already high.
And they note the leverage isn't gone. Older Russia sanctions remain in force, the waivers can be lifted at any time, and the trade representative is under orders to keep watching Russian oil buyers. Many Democrats opposed the bill in the first place because it gave the president new tariff powers, NBC News reported.
Sources & Citations
- The White House, “Implementing the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026”, October 16, 2026.
- AP, “Trump puts new Russia sanctions he recently signed on hold”, October 16, 2026.
- The Guardian, “Trump pauses new Russia sanctions passed by Congress amid deepening row with Ukraine”, October 16, 2026.
- NBC News, “Trump waives new Russia sanctions passed by Congress, citing 'national interests'”.
- The Washington Post, “Trump signs Executive Order waiving sanctions against Russia”, October 17, 2026.
- RFE/RL, “Trump Waives Graham Act Sanctions On Russia Before They Take Effect”, October 17, 2026.
- Fox Business, “Russian sanctions, tariffs under Graham Act waived by President Donald Trump”.
- Office of Sen. Richard Blumenthal, “Blumenthal, Graham, Shaheen, & Wicker Announce Agreement on Legislation to Hold Purchasers of Russian Oil Accountable”, July 10, 2026.
- Senate Foreign Relations Committee (Democrats), “Shaheen, Bipartisan Senators Call on Trump to Rescind Russian Diesel Deal…”, October 13, 2026.
- Volodymyr Zelenskyy, “Post on X”, October 17, 2026.
- Kirill Dmitriev, “Post on X”, October 17, 2026.
- The New York Times, “Post on X”, October 16, 2026.
- Radio Purple, “Trump Opens the Door to Russian Diesel and Announces an 'Energy Ceasefire.' Strikes on Ukraine's Grid Continue”, October 12, 2026.
Positions above are attributed to the public statements and published reporting cited here. Quotations are taken from these sources; Radio Purple does not publish unattributed or invented quotes. See an error? Request a correction.
