The Senate passed the law 86-11, but its Section 115 lets the president waive it by certifying to Congress that a waiver serves the national interest.
Republicans and Democrats condemned Donald Trump's executive order of Friday, Oct. 16, which waived the Graham Act's sanctions and tariffs on Russia two days before they were due to take effect on Sunday, Oct. 18. The waived penalties include a 100% tariff on the top five buyers of Russian oil and gas and a 500% tariff on Russian goods.
The White House. Spokesperson Taylor Rogers said enforcing them now "would impede ongoing U.S. efforts to negotiate a durable and comprehensive peace agreement."
Republican critics. Don Bacon (Rep-R Nebraska) wrote on X that Trump's agenda "is dead. Many of us won't fund these things knowing he is propping up a dictator's invasion and throwing an ally under the bus." Thom Tillis (Sen-R North Carolina) told NBC "there's a legitimate case for saying the president's not following the law." John Cornyn (Sen-R Texas): "Lindsey would be appalled."
The supporters. Thomas Massie (Rep-R Kentucky), one of seven Republicans who voted against the law, was "glad to see Trump has used the executive authority granted to him by Congress to waive almost all of the provisions of this stupid law."
Democrats and Kyiv. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said Trump "just gave Putin the best birthday gift he'll get this year." Volodymyr Zelensky (President, Ukraine) called the decision unfortunate and urged the law's backers to keep speaking out.
Still open. The order sets no end date. The waivers stay in place until administration officials decide further action is needed. The White House says Trump keeps the power to switch the penalties on.
Catch up
- Sept. 24 — Zelensky urged countries to limit trade with Russia to cut off its war funding.
- Oct. 4 — Putin added a sale of Lukoil's foreign oil assets to U.S.-Russia talks; the buyers include Witkoff and Kushner business partners.
- Oct. 10 — Treasury lifted U.S. sanctions on Russian diesel until April 7, 2027; Zelensky called it "a happy birthday present for Putin."
- Oct. 11 — Russian glide bombs killed 20 in Zaporizhzhia; Trump said Ukraine needs "a new president" and announced a refinery-only energy ceasefire that Moscow never confirmed.
- Oct. 12–14 — 12 senators, six from each party, asked Trump to rescind the diesel deal.
- Oct. 15–16 — Ukraine struck a Russian refinery, ending the pause; EU leaders said they "regret" the diesel deal and Trump called Zelensky "not a good guy."
27 earlier issues
- CIA chief Ratcliffe makes rare Moscow visit
- CIA chief reportedly warned Moscow against a limited Russian attack on NATO
- CIA chief secretly met Russian intelligence officials in Moscow
- UpdateCIA chief told Moscow to end the Ukraine war before Russia’s military and economy worsen
- Russian drone hits ammunition depot near Kyiv, killing 38; four remain missing
- Russia's finance minister returned to the G20 in person for the first time since the Ukraine invasion
- Witkoff and Kushner meet Putin in Moscow Sept. 5, Zelensky in Kyiv Sept. 6, carrying a U.S. proposal to end the war
- UpdatePutin orders 72-hour halt to strikes on Kyiv while Witkoff and Kushner visit, after a three-hour Kremlin meeting
- UpdateWitkoff and Kushner hold first Kyiv talks of the war, agreeing on next steps but no terms; announcement promised in weeks
- UpdateWitkoff says Moscow-Kyiv trip produced 'substantive progress' on scheduling more talks, with no date set and no terms disclosed
- UpdateRussia resumed strikes on Kyiv after the truce, killing 7; Trump and Putin then talked for an hour
- UpdateTrump says Russia's president wants a Ukraine peace deal after their phone call
- House schedules vote next week on authorizing 100% tariffs on Russian oil buyers
- UpdateVladimir Putin warned that sending European troops into Ukraine means war with Russia.
- Trump announced a Russia-Ukraine energy truce Kyiv calls conditional
- UpdateThe House voted 214-211 to advance 100% tariffs on buyers of Russian oil
- UpdateCongress sends Trump a bill letting him impose 100% tariffs on countries that buy Russian oil
- UpdateTrump signs the bill authorizing 100% tariffs on buyers of Russian oil
- Trump and Zelensky agree to New York talks, expected Sept. 22
- UpdateZelensky asks Trump for a mutual halt on energy and port strikes
- Zelensky (President, Ukraine) urges countries to limit trade with Russia to cut war funding
- UpdatePutin added a sale of Lukoil's foreign oil assets to US-Russia Ukraine talks; the buyers include Witkoff and Kushner business partners
- UpdateTreasury lifts U.S. sanctions on Russian diesel until April 7, 2027, after Trump says Russia will send 4.8 million tons
- UpdateRussian glide bombs kill 20 in Zaporizhzhia a day after the U.S. suspended Russian diesel sanctions; Putin tells Trump talks won't resume soon
- UpdateFour Republican senators join Democrats in demanding Trump reverse his Russian diesel deal, saying he skipped steps the law requires
- UpdateTrump defends letting Russian diesel into the U.S. as analysts say the 300,000-ton first shipment is too small to lower prices
- Update12 senators, six from each party, ask Trump to rescind his deal lifting U.S. sanctions on Russian diesel
What the Russian diesel deal promised, against today's diesel prices
- Trump said 300,000 metric tons of Russian diesel would be supplied immediately under a deal announced the week before the waiver.
- U.S. retail diesel averaged $6.18 a gallon the week of Oct. 12 in the Energy Information Administration's weekly survey, down from the year's weekly high of $6.53 the week of Sept. 21.
- Diesel prices have risen almost 70% since the Iran war began in February, per NBC News.