Trump waives Russia sanctions and tariffs days before they take effect
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The gist
Trump waived tariffs of up to 500% on Russian imports and 100% on top buyers of Russian oil.
The order defuses the core enforcement of a Russia sanctions law passed weeks earlier.
Background
Donald Trump, the U.S. president who nicknamed himself "Tariff Man" in his first term, has used tariffs heavily in his second term on allies and rivals alike, aiming to revive American manufacturing. In September 2026 he signed a law named after Lindsey Graham, the late Republican senator from South Carolina, that imposed sanctions and tariffs on Russia. Two days before those measures were due to take effect, he signed an executive order waiving them, which drew scrutiny because he had also left Russia off a sweeping tariff list in April 2025.
How it unfolded
- Apr 2025Trump left Russia off the list of countries facing sweeping tariffs.
- Sep 2026Trump signed into law a bill named after the late senator Lindsey Graham, containing sanctions and tariffs on Russia.
- Oct 16, 2026Trump signed an executive order waiving the new Russia sanctions and tariffs two days before they would take effect.
- Oct 19, 2026CNN reported the order suspends tariffs of up to 500% on U.S. imports from Russia and 100% on the top five importers of Russian oil and natural gas; Brent crude flirted with five-month highs around $110 a barrel by early Monday afternoon.
Who’s saying what
- Analysts
- Raymond James analyst Ed Mills said the waiver "eviscerates any real enforcement of the Lindsey Graham sanctions act" and fits a pattern, calling the Friday timing a "news dump" the GOP did not want weeks before the midterms.
- Expert
- Andy Lipow of Lipow Oil Associates said Russia already sells crude to China, India and Turkey while limiting refined fuel exports, and the waiver "may make it easier."
- Official
- White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said Trump's America First trade agenda is reshaping the international economic order to cut the trade deficit and revitalize manufacturing, and that foreign exporters will ultimately bear the cost of tariffs.