Despite signing a congressional bill that would significantly expand the U.S. sanctions regime on Russia into law in September, President Donald Trump has now blocked the application of several of the Russia-related sanctions mandated by the bill just two days before they were meant to come into effect.
The Trump administration claimed that a waiver of the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, the official name of the legislation that would have allowed Trump to impose tariffs of up to 100% on imports from the five nations purchasing the most Russian oil and gas, was "in the national interests of the United States" in an executive order issued on Friday.
