Trump suspends US sanctions against Russia

US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order suspending the application of major sanctions and export tariffs on Russia under the Lindsey Graham Act, days before the law was due to take effect.

The law, which Trump himself signed into effect last month, codified and expanded sanctions against Moscow. Its full application would have complicated the administration's efforts to keep diesel prices down ahead of the midterm elections on November 3.

The suspended act is named after Lindsey Graham, the Republican senator who died in July, days after returning from a trip to Kyiv, and who had strongly pushed for the law as a response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Trump relied on a waiver clause under Section 115 of the Graham Act, which allows the president to suspend sanctions against foreign actors, restrictions on individuals and tariffs, if he deems it in the national interest. In the text of the order, titled «Attuazione del Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026», Trump said he had sent Congress the required certification along with a report explaining the reasons for the decision. «Ho trasmesso al Congresso la certificazione sulla concessione di tale deroga, in questo momento, è nell'interesse nazionale degli Stati Uniti» (in English: I have sent Congress the certification on granting this waiver; at this time, it is in the national interest of the United States), he wrote in the order published on the White House website.

The waivers exempt Russian goods from tariffs and suspend sanctions against individuals and entities, but existing sanctions remain in force. Several US agencies will continue to monitor purchases of Russian oil and attempts to evade sanctions, and Washington retains the power to revoke the waivers in future. Trump also specified that the waiver does not affect Section 102(d) and does not touch sanctions imposed by earlier executive orders against harmful activities linked to the Russian government, which remain unchanged.

The decision comes as the Trump administration faces pressure over its approach to Russian energy exports and its efforts to curb high fuel costs. Several lawmakers, both Democrats and Republicans, criticized the move, fearing that easing restrictions on Russian oil could hand Moscow unexpected revenue while the war against Ukraine continues.

Zelensky: the move «encourages Putin»

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky criticized Washington's move in a message on X, posted the day after a massive Russian attack on Ukraine's energy infrastructure. «Un blackout delle sanzioni statunitensi, l'allentamento della pressione sull'aggressore e le ricompense finanziarie per Putin: tutto questo lo incoraggia soltanto a continuare gli attacchi» (in English: a blackout of US sanctions, the easing of pressure on the aggressor and financial rewards for Putin: all of this only encourages him to keep attacking), he wrote.

Zelensky added that the Graham Act could have contributed significantly to ending the war, and still could, if it were actually applied. He thanked European partners for the new support packages already arranged for Kyiv and called for continued pressure on Russia, rather than giving Putin reasons to prolong the conflict.