Trump signs executive order waiving Graham Act sanctions on Russia
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on October 16, 2026 that waives the sanctions and tariffs imposed by the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, and submitted a written certification to Congress stating the move is in the national interests of the United States.
The waiver suspends the 100 percent tariffs that would have applied to goods from the five nations purchasing the most Russian crude, as well as the 500 percent tariffs slated for Russian imports, and pauses other sanctions intended to pressure Moscow over its war in Ukraine.
The Graham Act, which Trump signed into law on September 18, 2026, authorized the president to impose steep duties and sanctions unless a waiver was certified to Congress. The one‑month deadline for those measures was set to expire the following weekend, but the executive order places the legislation on hold indefinitely.
The decision follows a week‑old announcement that the United States had struck a deal to purchase Russian diesel in an effort to lower global energy prices ahead of the midterm elections. Lawmakers from both parties have condemned the purchase as a signal that the administration is undermining Ukraine’s fight against Russia.
Tensions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky have also risen. Zelensky recently ordered renewed strikes on Russian oil refineries, ending an energy ceasefire that Trump had helped broker. The president had previously called for Zelensky to step down and for a new Ukrainian leader to be elected, prompting a sharp verbal exchange between the two.
In addition to the sanctions waiver, the administration is facing criticism over alleged restrictions on Ukraine’s access to Starshield, a military‑grade satellite network owned by the Department of War. The slowdown, officials said, has hampered Ukrainian battlefield communications.
Senator Elizabeth Warren (D‑MA), who voted against the Graham bill, called the waiver “another abject and predictable failure in leadership,” adding that it “thumbs its nose at Congress’s direction to ratchet up pressure on the Kremlin.”
The executive order applies only to sanctions under the Graham Act; other sanctions imposed by separate executive orders remain in effect. Congress may choose to respond to the certification, but the President’s certification makes the waiver effective immediately.
