Trump signs order suspending Russia sanctions under Graham Act

US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order suspending certain sanctions, restrictions and tariffs on Russia provided for under the Graham Act.

Source: Trump's executive order on the White House website; Bloomberg

Quote from the order: "I hereby waive the application of any duties provided for in sections 112 and 113 of the Graham Act or this order. I have submitted to the Congress a certification that the issuance of such a waiver is in the national interests of the United States."

Details: According to Bloomberg, Trump has suspended sweeping tariffs linked to Russian energy exports that were provided for under legislation he signed last month. The measures had complicated his efforts to bring down diesel prices ahead of the US midterm elections.

Trump invoked an exemption provision in the Act, which was introduced by the late Senator Lindsey Graham in response to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The legislation also codified and expanded sanctions targeting Moscow.

The executive order formally establishes the tariffs while suspending their application, meaning Trump could bring them into force later if he chooses to do so.

The move gave Trump 30 days to impose 100% tariffs on all goods from the five largest buyers of Russian oil. It also provided for sanctions against numerous Russian legal entities and 500% tariffs on all imports of Russian energy products into the US. The 30-day period was due to expire on 18 October.

These provisions conflicted with Trump's plan, announced last week, to work with Russian leader Vladimir Putin to bring the country's diesel supplies onto global markets. Trump is seeking to lower diesel prices in the US, which have been hovering at record highs just weeks before the 3 November elections.

Waiving the tariffs risks provoking renewed opposition from members of Congress, including many Republicans angered by his decision on Russian diesel fuel.

Suspending the law's application also allows Trump to avoid a potential conflict with the largest buyers of Russian energy products: China, India and Türkiye.

Background:

• On 17 September, the US Congress passed bill H.R. 5334, the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026. The legislation authorises 500% tariffs on Russian goods, secondary tariffs of up to 100% on the largest buyers of Russian oil and gas, and mandatory sanctions against key sectors of the Russian economy.
• On 19 September, Trump signed the Graham Act into law, setting the first 30-day deadline for the implementation of its provisions for 18 October.
• On 9 October, the US Department of the Treasury, through the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), issued General Licence No. 135, allowing transactions involving Russian-origin diesel fuel.
• On 14 October, a bipartisan group of 12 US senators sent a strongly worded letter to Trump, calling the diesel deal with Moscow a "betrayal of the people of Ukraine" and urging him to immediately revoke the licence and move to full implementation of the Graham Act.
• Twenty-two Democrat and Republican members of the US House of Representatives wrote to Trump demanding the full and immediate implementation of the sanctions against Russia provided for under the Graham Act.

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