Graham Act sanctions shelved: will Congress's Russia package ever bite?

President Donald Trump issued an executive order late on October 16, 2026, suspending nearly all substantive sanctions, tariffs and restrictions in the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 — two days before the package was due to take effect on October 18.

Trump signed the legislation into law in September. The law gave him broad powers to levy tariffs of up to 100% on imports from the top five purchasers of Russian oil and gas. It was named posthumously for Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a prominent congressional supporter of Ukraine who died on July 11.

The executive order said withholding the measures was in the United States' "national interest." The waiver sidelines a rare bipartisan sanctions package aimed at pressuring Russia to end its war against Ukraine, and raises questions about whether Congress's sanctions will ever take effect.

The move lands as Washington–Kyiv relations deteriorate. The US struck a deal to import Russian diesel, and Ukraine accused the Trump administration of withdrawing key military support. Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky exchanged sharp words during the week: Trump said Zelensky was "more difficult to deal with" than Russian President Vladimir Putin; Zelensky, addressing an EU summit, said it was nice to be among "real leaders."

Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev welcomed the suspension, calling it "an important and truly historic moment."

Trump cited the "national interest" as justification but the concrete basis for that determination is not public.

What is clear is the timing and the mechanism. A law Trump signed in September was put on hold by his own executive order in October, before its provisions could take effect. The sanctions were waived, not repealed.