Trump Waives Most New Russia Sanctions and Tariffs a Day Before They Were Due to Start

WASHINGTON. President Donald Trump has waived most of the new sanctions, restrictions and duties in the Russia sanctions law he signed last month, days before the measures were due to take effect.

The executive order, titled Implementing the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 and dated October 16, was released by the White House on Friday. Trump said he had sent Congress a written certification that the waiver is in the national interests of the United States, with a report explaining the basis for it, as section 115 of the act requires.

What the order sets aside

Section 4 of the order waives any duties provided for in sections 112 and 113 of the act, or in the order itself. It also waives the sanctions provision in section 102(d), and a long list of other provisions: sections 102(a), 102(e), 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111 and 117.

Without the waiver, the order itself sets out steep rates. Goods from Russia would face a duty increase of 500 percent. Goods from the five largest importers of Russian crude oil and natural gas would face a 100 percent increase if those countries knowingly make new purchases of Russian oil or gas on or after October 18, 2026. Goods from the top five facilitators of Russian oil sanctions evasion would also face a 100 percent increase. Reuters reported the law would have imposed tariffs of up to 100 percent within 30 days on goods from the five largest importers of Russian crude oil or gas. A Baker McKenzie briefing notes that most of the act's measures were to be imposed within 30 days of enactment, by October 18, 2026.

The waivers stay in effect until the president, or the secretary of state in consultation with the Treasury secretary and the trade representative, decides further action is appropriate.

What stays in place

The order is careful on one point. Nothing in it affects sanctions under earlier executive orders on harmful foreign activities of the Russian government, including the national emergency Trump continued on March 24, 2026, as those measures stood the day before the Graham Act became law. People sanctioned under those older orders stay sanctioned.

The order also keeps a monitoring system running. The United States trade representative, working with the secretaries of state, the Treasury and energy, must track which countries buy Russian crude oil and natural gas, watch for sanctions evasion, and report back to the president, including on whether the waivers should change.

Why it matters now

The law is named for the late Senator Lindsey Graham, its primary backer in Congress, and Trump signed it on September 18, 2026. It wrote a tougher Russia sanctions policy into statute, then gave the president a broad power to waive it. Trump has now used that power for most of the law before its first duties and sanctions took hold.

Reuters reported that the move comes as Trump has been warming toward Russia and publicly criticizing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, including suggesting that Ukraine needs a new leader. Countries such as India, among the biggest buyers of Russian oil, had raised concerns about the bill, Reuters said.

For importers and for governments buying Russian energy, the result is simple. The new Graham Act duties will not be collected while the waiver stands, and the new Graham Act sanctions will not be applied. The older sanctions system, built by executive order over several years, remains the one in force.