Trump waives tariffs tied to Russian energy purchases
Shafaq News- Washington/ Moscow
US President Donald Trump has waived key sanctions and tariffs targeting Russia just days before they were due to take effect, suspending penalties on countries buying Russian oil and duties on their goods entering the US market.
In an executive order released by the White House on Friday, Trump cited US national interests to justify the waiver, which will remain in effect until “further action is appropriate.”
US law allows the president to waive the measures by notifying Congress that he has determined they are not in the national interest.
Championed by the late Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, the legislation would have imposed tariffs of up to 100% within 30 days on goods imported into the United States from the five largest buyers of Russian crude oil or natural gas. It also covered countries that knowingly purchased Russian oil or gas 30 days after the law's enactment, as well as the five countries most involved in helping Moscow evade sanctions.
Trump signed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 in mid-September.
China and India, two of the largest buyers of Russian oil, had previously raised concerns about the legislation. Beijing maintained that it “consistently opposed long-arm jurisdiction that lacks a basis in international law,” while New Delhi warned Washington that additional tariffs could strain bilateral ties.
Russian President Vladimir Putin's envoy Kirill Dmitriev welcomed Trump's decision, calling the waiver “a truly historic moment.” He argued that the legislation could have brought economic cooperation between Russia and the US to a halt.
1/4 The suspension of some of the provisions of the Graham Act marks an important and truly historic moment. The legislation underwent fundamental and deeply negative changes following Senator Graham’s death.
— Kirill Dmitriev (@kadmitriev) October 17, 2026
US Representative Don Beyer, a Virginia Democrat, criticized the waiver, accusing Trump of yielding to Putin.
“Trump's latest surrender to Putin again betrays our Ukrainian partners and defies clear congressional intent of legislation designed to punish Russia for its illegal war of aggression,” Beyer said in a statement.
The waiver comes amid criticism of Trump's approach to Moscow, including a recent diesel deal that drew objections from several US senators, including some Republicans. Under the agreement, Washington agreed to lift sanctions on Russian exports, while Moscow committed to supplying more than 300,000 metric tons of diesel to global markets in an effort to lower fuel prices.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also condemned the deal, arguing that Trump was favoring Moscow and taking the wrong side of history.
