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Trump Waives Russian Sanctions and Tariffs Under Lindsey Graham Act

11:17 PM ETConfirmed

Business Desk

In Short: President Trump signed the Lindsey Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, which was designed to impose significant sanctions and tariffs on Russia, but he also waived many of its provisions.

The bill, which passed with bipartisan support, was aimed at targeting Russia's primary revenue streams by imposing secondary economic measures on third-party entities and allowing the president to levy tariffs on foreign nations that continue to purchase Russian energy exports.

However, Trump waived the 100% tariffs on the world's five largest importers of Russian crude oil and natural gas, as well as the 500% tariffs on Russian goods.

Trump said the waivers would remain in place until his administration determines that further action is appropriate, and directed his officials to monitor countries that import Russian energy or evade sanctions.

The decision to ease sanctions has drawn criticism in Congress. A bipartisan group of senators called the diesel waivers a 'betrayal of the people of Ukraine' and urged Trump to enforce the sanctions and tariffs laid out in the Graham law.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy initially said he was willing to abide by an 'energy ceasefire,' but after continued Russian attacks, he said Ukraine would no longer hold off on striking Russian refineries.

The bill also expands sanctions targeting Russian government officials, financial institutions, the defense and energy sectors, foreign entities supporting Russia’s war effort, and vessels used by Russia’s so-called shadow fleet to circumvent existing restrictions.

The legislation was championed by the late Senator Lindsey Graham, who had long advocated for maintaining and strengthening economic pressure on Russia.

Graham's bill was approved by the Republican-led House of Representatives on Wednesday in a 262-159 vote after passing the Senate last month 86-11 with strong bipartisan support.

Trump's decision to waive the sanctions has raised concerns among local governments that rely on diesel taxes for revenue, as the bill was expected to increase diesel prices and generate additional tax revenue.

Background

What's confirmed

• Graham Sanctioning Russia Act, which Mr. Trump signed late last month.

What's still developing

• Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, according to an executive order issued on Saturday.
• The 48-page bill, formally titled the Lindsey O Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, includes exceptions for countries that import less than 15% of their natural gas from Russia and are working to lessen their dependency.
• The bill is named after the late Senator Lindsey Graham, one of Ukraine's staunchest defenders in Washington before his death on 11 July.
• Senators voted overwhelmingly Tuesday night to advance a sweeping Russia sanctions bill that Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) had long sought to move forward before his unexpected death.
• “It is extremely dangerous to give Trump massive new tariff powers, particularly after we’ve seen the disastrous impacts of his corrupt, chaotic, and inflationary tariff spree,” House Ways and Means ranking member Richard Neal (D-Mass.) and Senate Finance ranking member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) said in a statement after the latest version of the bill was unveiled.
• During a visit to Kyiv on July 10, 2026, Graham said he had reached an agreement with the White House on a revised version of the legislation.
• Graham, a close ally of the president, died unexpectedly in July after returning from Ukraine.
• "This bill has a loophole that would allow him to define basically any country as a facilitator of evading Russian sanctions," said Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va.
• “Senator Graham never doubted for a second that America has enough strength to stand up to dictators and achieve results if it acts THE RIGHT WAY.” He continued, “I thank President Trump for signing this critically important legislation.” Zelensky also thanked the lawmakers that supported the legislation and called for it to be implemented as soon as possible.
• Eph. 6:13 As Russian attacks on civilian targets in Ukraine continue to escalate and with Vladimir Putin showing no willingness to engage in ceasefire negotiations, a bill championed by the late Senator Lindsey Graham that would directly target the foremost buyers of Russian energy and potentially cripple Putin’s war machine is picking up steam.
• He continued, “Meanwhile, the Ukrainian cause will be tied to Trump’s widely hated tariffs, deeply unpopular in America already, and further stressing Americans’ pocketbooks, [which] is not good for Ukraine’s long-term.” The legislation was passed by the Senate just weeks after Graham, 71, died unexpectedly due to a torn aorta.

Sources

• CBS Newslink
• Fox Businesslink
• The Economic Timeslink
• BBClink
• United24Medialink
• Turkiyetodaylink
• Newsukrainelink
• Politicolink
• Englishlink
• Thediplomaticinsightlink
• NPRlink
• Nypostlink
• Washingtonstandlink
• Washingtonexaminerlink
• WarpBeat — background on Trump Waives Rules on Red-Dyed Diesel, Faces Local Tax Concerns link
• CNN-News18 — video link