The US president’s executive order was issued two days before sanctions were due to expire and a week before the diesel deal with Putin was signed.
Published October 17, 2026
US President Donald Trump has put on hold the comprehensive sanctions against Russia he signed into law last month, telling Congress that a moratorium is in the national interest.
President Trump signed the executive order Friday, two days before the law’s deadline to put the sanctions into effect.
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The bill, named after Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, who died suddenly in July after returning from Ukraine, passed the House and Senate by wide margins. The bipartisan bill was authored by Graham and Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal.
It sought to drain Moscow of war funds by imposing sanctions on Russian authorities, banks, and a shadowy tanker fleet that transports energy.
It also directed President Trump to impose tariffs of up to 100% on the five largest importers of Russian oil and gas, with exceptions for countries that import less than 15% of Russia’s natural gas exports and have taken measures to reduce them.
Diesel trade and criticism
The decision to suspend sanctions came a week after President Trump said the United States had signed a deal to buy diesel from Russia to lower global fuel prices.
Both Republicans and Democrats criticized the deal, saying it supported Russia’s war effort without affecting fuel prices.
Democratic Rep. Don Beyer said he and other members of Congress had “warned” that President Trump could do something like this in connection with his agreement with Russia.
Beyer called on Congress to “stop President Trump from capitulating to President Putin and fix this flawed law to truly support Ukraine.”
President Trump has increasingly criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in recent days for failing to reach a deal with Russia.
As Republicans seek to maintain control of Congress in the Nov. 3 midterm elections, an AP-NORC poll released Oct. 1 found that Americans disapprove of President Trump’s handling of the Iran war and blame him for high prices, among several other domestic policy issues.
