Trump waives broad range of new Russia sanctions under law he signed last month

President Donald Trump issued an executive order on 16 October waiving a wide range of sanctions and import duties in a new US law aimed at putting pressure on Russia over its war in Ukraine. The move holds back much of the law’s planned expansion of US measures, but does not lift sanctions already imposed under earlier executive orders. [1]

Trump signed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act on 18 September. His order waives provisions covering sanctions on Russian officials, banks and other entities, as well as restrictions on transactions and investment. It also waives the law’s duties on goods from Russia and from certain countries that buy Russian energy or facilitate sanctions evasion. The waivers remain in place until the president or designated officials decide further action is appropriate. [1] [2]

The timing matters. Many of the law’s measures carried a deadline of 30 days after it was enacted, falling on 18 October. But the whole law was not waiting to take effect: its ban on US persons buying Russian government debt applied from 18 September. That provision, too, is among those Trump has now waived. [1] [2]

The law permits waivers if the president first certifies to Congress that they are in the US national interest and submits a report explaining why. Trump says he has done so; the executive order does not set out the report’s reasoning. [1] [2]

The decision drew criticism from Democratic senator Richard Blumenthal, who helped draft the legislation. He said the waivers had “nothing to do with our national security”. The order explicitly preserves sanctions imposed under earlier executive orders addressing harmful Russian government activities, so the decision is a pause in applying specified measures under the new law, not an end to US sanctions on Russia. [4]