U.S. President Donald Trump welcomes Russian President Vladimir Putin to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, August 15, 2025.
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President Donald Trump waived major Russia-related U.S. sanctions and tariffs, including tariffs on Russian goods and fines on oil and gas purchases, days before they went into effect under a law he signed last month.
In an executive order released by the White House on Friday, President Trump said the waiver was in the national interest of the United States.
The law is aimed at increasing pressure on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, which began in 2022, but Trump has taken a tougher stance on Russia, publicly criticizing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, including suggesting Kiev needs a new leader.
Analysts say the new measures could risk pushing oil prices higher even further, at a time when Americans are already facing rising costs largely stemming from the U.S. and Israel’s war against Iran, weeks before U.S. midterm elections in which President Donald Trump’s Republican Party is fighting to maintain narrow control of both houses of Congress.
The bill, whose main sponsor in Congress was the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, would impose tariffs of up to 100 percent within 30 days on all goods entering the United States from the five largest importers of Russian oil and gas, as well as any country that knowingly purchased oil or gas within 30 days of the law’s enactment or was among the top five countries that helped Russia evade sanctions.
According to the order, the exemption will continue until President Trump or his top officials deem “further action is appropriate.”
President Trump signed the Lindsey O. Graham Russia-Iran Sanctions Act of 2026 in mid-September.
“I have provided Congress with certification that it is in the national interest of the United States to issue such a waiver at this time,” Trump said in his order.
Countries such as China and India, which are among the largest buyers of Russian oil, have expressed concerns about the Russia sanctions bill.
Beijing has said it has “consistently opposed long-distance jurisdiction that has no basis in international law,” and India warned Washington that new tariffs could affect bilateral relations.
Under this law, the president can waive sanctions simply by notifying Congress that he has determined that the sanctions are not in the national interest.
Rep. Don Beyer, D-Virginia, denounced the exemption, saying Trump was kowtowing to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“President Trump’s recent capitulation to President Putin violates the clear Congressional intent of the bill, which once again betrays its partners in Ukraine and is intended to punish Russia for its illegal war of aggression,” Bayer said in a statement.
President Trump also faced criticism from several U.S. senators, including some Republicans, regarding the recent diesel deal with Russia. In the deal, President Trump agreed to lift sanctions on exports to Russia, and Russia agreed to supply diesel to the global market to lower fuel prices. Lawmakers who criticized the deal argued that it helped finance Russia’s war effort.
