World
Trump waives new Russia sanctions before October 18 implementation
The October 16 order pauses specified Graham Act measures while preserving other Russia sanctions.
By NewsCubby Editorial Desk · Published
President Donald Trump signed an order on October 16 waiving new tariffs and specified sanctions under the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026. The order says he submitted Congress a national-interest certification and report supporting the waivers.
The law’s tariff provisions were due to apply from October 18, subject to exceptions and presidential waivers. Section 4 of Friday’s order waives the duties in sections 112 and 113 and a range of sanctions and restrictions elsewhere in the act.
This is not the removal of every U.S. sanction involving Russia. The order expressly preserves measures imposed under other executive orders addressing Russian harmful foreign activities. It also leaves the underlying law in place.
The waivers continue until the President or authorized officials determine that further action is appropriate; the order does not give a fixed expiry date. The practical change is that the specified new measures will not take effect as originally scheduled. That distinction matters when assessing the economic pressure the law was intended to place on Russia.
Photo: Zach Rudisin / CC BY-SA 3.0. White House south side and gardens, August 17,2011. Archival context, not the October 16 signing. Photo resized and placed in an original NewsCubby layout. Adapted image/graphic is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.