Trump waives new Russia sanctions in the "national interests"

Axios · 10/17/2026, 5:20:45 PM

President Trump waived new sanctions on Russia late Friday night, saying it was in the "national interests" to hold off on the sweeping levies under the Graham Act that he signed just last month. Why it matters : Trump is easing American pressure on Russia despite a bipartisan chorus calling for him to do the exact opposite. It comes a week after his surprise deal to let Russia sell diesel internationally, which Republicans have condemned as loudly as Democrats. It also puts Republican candidates making their final midterm sprint in the position of having to defend the president's warmer relationship with a country voters overwhelmingly see as an American enemy . The latest: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky lamented Trump's decision in a post to X Saturday morning. "This Act could have helped enormously – and still can! But it needs to actually work, and every voice in support of it matters," he wrote, amid fresh Russian attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure. Driving the news: The White House released the text of an executive order late Friday night detailing the implementation of the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, which Trump signed in September. The bill, named for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), imposed broad new sanctions on Russia and countries that do business with it, including buyers of its oil. The order notes that the law allows the president to "waive the application of any sanctions provision with respect to a foreign person, any restriction with respect to a person, and any duty." "I have submitted to the Congress a certification that the issuance of such a waiver at this time is in the national interests of the United States," Trump said in the order. What they're saying: Republicans and Democrats alike blasted the waiver. "By giving the Russian economy life support, Trump's deal with the devil keeps getting dirtier," Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) wrote . "Trump's latest surrender to Putin again bet