Trump Waives New Russia Sanctions Just Two Days Before They Were Set to Take Effect
President Trump signed an executive order on Friday, October 16, suspending a sweeping new round of Russia sanctions and tariffs that were due to take effect October 18 under the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, legislation named for the late South Carolina senator that Trump himself signed into law last month. The waiver cites a national-interest certification built into the statute, which requires the president to notify Congress but does not require a detailed public justification, and the administration has not released additional reasoning beyond calling the move in the "national interests of the United States."
The suspended measures included a 500 percent tariff on Russian goods and a 100 percent duty on the five largest buyers of Russian oil and natural gas, provisions designed to squeeze the revenue funding Moscow's war in Ukraine. It is the second time in two weeks that Trump has eased Russia-related sanctions, following an earlier rollback tied to a diesel deal with President Vladimir Putin aimed at easing fuel prices at home. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy publicly criticized the waiver, and even some Republican allies in Congress voiced discomfort with pulling back penalties so soon after the bipartisan bill was signed.
The waiver carries no fixed expiration date and remains in effect until the president or secretary of state determines further action is warranted. The decision lands two weeks before the midterm elections, as rising diesel and energy prices remain a flashpoint in the broader debate over inflation and as Trump's approval ratings have slipped to new lows in recent national polling.
Arguments for:
The waiver authority was written into the law by Congress itself, so using it is an exercise of power lawmakers explicitly gave the president, not a workaround.
Suspending the tariffs avoids an immediate spike in energy and diesel prices at a moment when inflation is already straining households.
Keeping the waiver open-ended preserves diplomatic flexibility if sanctions relief becomes useful leverage in future talks with Moscow.
Arguments against:
Waiving the sanctions twice in two weeks undercuts a law Trump signed with bipartisan support just a month earlier, raising questions about how seriously the policy was meant to be enforced.
The suspended tariffs were specifically designed to cut into the oil and gas revenue financing Russia's war against Ukraine, so easing them removes economic pressure at a sensitive point in the conflict.
The administration has not offered a detailed public explanation for the certification, despite the law requiring a report to Congress.
The timing, days after a diesel deal with Putin and amid Trump's feud with Zelenskyy, feeds concerns among US allies that Washington's commitment to pressuring Russia is softening.
What's your take?
Was Trump right to waive the new Russia sanctions just two days before they took effect? Yes 
No 
Other 
Sources:
NBC News: Trump doubles down after waiving new Russia sanctions
CNBC: Trump waives broad new Russia sanctions, Zelenskyy condemns it as 'wrong'
#RussiaSanctions #Ukraine #Trump #ForeignPolicy #GrahamAct
Now let's hear from you.
You get one Take and 3 ratings so use them well.
Strong arguments beat loud ones. See Moving The Needle (How to)
Don't forget to rate your own Take.
Please don't feed the trolls.
Congress put that waiver in the law for exactly this reason, so a president could respond to real-world energy prices instead of being locked into penalties no matter what they cost American families. Diesel and gas prices are already squeezing people, and holding the line on principle while they pay more at the pump isn't strength.