Trump waives broad new Russia sanctions and tariffs under Graham Act, citing national interest

President Donald Trump has delayed imposing tariffs on Russian oil buyers until two days before the deadline, citing US national interests, according to an executive order released by the White House. The Lindsey Graham Act, which Trump signed into law in September, required him to impose 100% tariffs on imports from the five largest buyers of Russian oil, sanction Russian entities, and impose 500% tariffs on all Russian energy imports to the US within 30 days.

Trump used his power under Section 115 of the Graham Act to waive sanctions, but he cannot cancel sanctions that have already been announced. Moscow views the decision as a historic moment, while Kyiv sees it as a gift to Putin. Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev hailed it as "an important and truly historic moment," arguing that the sanctions had primarily hurt the US economy and world markets.

In contrast, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticized Washington for ignoring the Lindsey Graham law, which he claims could still help end the war. The move comes amid a growing backlash in Congress, with seven Republican and Democratic senators warning that Trump's decision violated the act they helped pass following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Ukrainian opposition figures also condemned the decision, with Iryna Herashchenko calling it cynical and a step that harms not only Ukraine but also the US and international security.