US President Donald Trump has used an executive order to waive a sweeping package of sanctions and tariffs on Russia that Congress passed and he signed into law last month. The order, issued on Friday night, came two days before the measures were due to take effect. In it, Trump said he had sent Congress a certification that granting the waiver now serves US national interests.
The law is named after Lindsey Graham, the Republican senator from South Carolina who died on 11 July and was one of Ukraine's strongest defenders in Washington. Drafted with Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, it targeted Russia's energy and defence sectors, President Vladimir Putin and other senior officials, banks, and the "shadow fleet" of tankers used to evade existing sanctions. It also gave Trump authority to impose tariffs of up to 100 percent on the five biggest buyers of Russian oil and gas, most notably China and India.
The waiver follows a phone call between Trump and Putin on 9 October, after which Trump announced the US would buy Russian diesel. Fuel prices have risen sharply since the war with Iran began in February, adding to cost-of-living worries ahead of the 3 November midterm elections, which will decide control of Congress. According to RFI, the arrangement lifts US sanctions on Russian diesel exports so Moscow can supply nearly two million tonnes to the US and global markets at first. Lawmakers from both parties criticised it, saying it would aid Russia's war effort without lowering prices. A Republican senator suggested it might even be illegal. On Thursday, 20 bipartisan lawmakers had urged Trump to implement the law fully and without delay. Democratic Representative Don Beyer called the waiver a "surrender to Putin" that betrays Ukraine and defies congressional intent.
Relations between Washington and Kyiv have worsened in parallel. Trump declared an "energy ceasefire" between Russia and Ukraine on 11 October without giving details. Moscow said it had never agreed and kept up attacks, and Kyiv resumed strikes on Russian refineries after three days. Trump called those strikes a "disgrace"; Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky replied that he defends only Ukraine's interests. Restrictions on the US-owned Starlink network, which is critical to Ukrainian military communications, have also hampered defences. Elon Musk's SpaceX said it was not behind the disruption, and a US official denied any intervention by Trump. The administration had earlier warned it could withhold intelligence-sharing if Ukraine continued hitting refineries.
European leaders have sought to show unity with Kyiv. At talks in Brussels, European Council President Antonio Costa said it was "no time to relieve Russia's sanctions". Zelensky asked the EU for more Patriot air-defence missiles and an extra 70 billion euros for next year. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the request "has to be covered", while Germany's Friedrich Merz said the EU would discuss it before year's end. Calls to use roughly 200 billion euros in frozen Russian central bank assets have resurfaced, but Belgium, where most are held, remains opposed.
The stakes are high as winter nears, when Russian strikes threaten Ukraine's power, heating and water systems. Russian attacks on Kherson and Zaporizhzhia killed at least 17 people on Saturday, Ukrainian authorities said.