On October 16, 2026, at the White House, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order suspending a broad package of sanctions and potential tariffs of up to 100 percent against countries purchasing Russian oil and gas.
The Executive Order and the Lindsey Graham Act
The executive order arrived just two days before the scheduled October 18 implementation of the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026. Agenpress noted that the legislation was originally signed by Trump on September 18 to choke off Moscow’s energy revenues and penalize nations evading international restrictions. The White House justified the suspension by citing the national interest, arguing that enforcing the tariffs would complicate efforts to lower diesel prices ahead of the November 3 midterm elections. The legislation, promoted by the late South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham who passed away in July just days after returning from Kyiv, had originally been signed by the president last month to target Russia’s energy and defense sectors, President Vladimir Putin, other senior officials, and the shadow fleet of oil tankers used by Moscow to bypass Western sanctions. The suspended measures would have allowed Washington to impose tariffs within 30 days on goods imported into the United States from the five largest buyers of Russian crude oil or gas, as well as on states that knowingly purchased oil or gas from Russia in the 30 days following the law’s entry into force or aided sanctions evasion against Moscow. The suspension remains in effect until the president or his senior officials deem further action appropriate, and the order formally applies to major energy buyers such as India and Cina that could have faced indirect commercial consequences. In the official document published by the White House, Trump invoked the national interest and exercised the waiver authority provided by the law itself.
According to AGI, the suspension drew swift praise from Kirill Dmitriev, representative of the Russian president for investments. Dmitriev called the move a historic moment on social media, asserting that economic cooperation between Washington and Moscow serves both nations and stabilizes global markets. However, the decision left the core sanctions framework technically intact on paper while freezing its enforcement. Dmitriev also argued that the law, which he claimed had undergone fundamental and deeply negative modifications following Senator Graham’s death, could have completely severed all economic cooperation between Russia and the United States and inflicted severe damage on the American economy and global markets, concluding that dialogue, mutually beneficial cooperation, and shared responsibility are needed instead of sanctions and confrontation.
Political Backlash and the Diesel Agreement with Moscow
The policy reversal stems from an arrangement between Washington and Moscow to ease energy restrictions in exchange for Russia flooding international markets with diesel. La guerra condotta dagli Stati Uniti in Iran ha provocato gravi carenze di petrolio e forti rincari, creando difficoltà per il Partito repubblicano di Trump in vista delle elezioni di metà mandato del prossimo mese.
Democratic lawmakers rounded on the administration, branding the move an outright capitulation. Don Beyer declared that the decision betrayed Ukrainian partners and directly undermined congressional intent, stating that it yielded to the pressures of Russian President Vladimir Putin and weakened international support for Ukraine. Meanwhile, Giorgia Meloni criticized the energy arrangement as highly risky, drawing a sharp rebuff from Trump, who dismissed the concerns and labeled the pact a great deal while criticizing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The backlash also included criticisms from some congressional Republicans who were worried that energy export revenues could help fund the Russian war effort. Trump responded to the criticism by repeatedly asserting that Zelensky is more difficult than Putin.
The Strains on Kyiv as Winter Approaches
The timing of Washington’s tariff freeze coincides with intense financial pressures on Ukraine. As Zelensky lobbies European Union leaders for additional funding to sustain Kyiv’s defense—requesting approximately 70 billion dollars in one appeal and around 80 billion dollars for the coming year in another while claiming to defend his country’s interests as U.S. support diminishes—the scaling back of U.S. economic pressure on Moscow deepens vulnerabilities on the ground.
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