Trump Signs but Suspends New Russia Sanctions and 100% Tariffs on Key Energy Buyers
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order waiving major Russian sanctions and tariffs required under the Lindsay Graham Act, freezing plans for 100% tariffs on imports from the five largest buyers of Russian oil and gas and from countries accused of helping Moscow evade restrictions.
President Donald Trump has moved to halt the most aggressive phase of a new United States sanctions regime on Russia before it could take effect, waiving key measures aimed at Moscow’s energy exports and some of its largest customers on the grounds of American national interest. The decision marks a significant adjustment in Washington’s economic pressure campaign and will be closely watched in capitals that had prepared for secondary sanctions.
Under the Lindsay Graham Act, the administration was legally required by 18 October 2026 to impose extensive new sanctions on Russia and to levy steep tariffs on countries that continue to buy large volumes of Russian oil and gas or that assist Moscow in evading existing restrictions. The act envisioned tariffs of 100% on all goods from the five largest importers of Russian hydrocarbons and from states judged to be key enablers of sanctions evasion, a penalty designed to force governments to choose between access to the U.S. market and energy ties with Russia.
Trump formally signed the implementing document and then immediately used a built‑in presidential waiver to suspend the core sanctions and tariffs indefinitely. The White House notified Congress that delaying their application was, in its view, consistent with U.S. national interests. The pause means the threatened 100% tariffs on goods from the designated countries will not take effect for now, removing a looming shock for export sectors that rely heavily on the American market.
For governments that still import significant quantities of Russian crude, pipeline gas, or refined products, the move eases the most immediate concern that complying with Washington’s demands would require sacrificing domestic energy stability or paying a high price to secure replacement barrels. Major buyers had been weighing whether to cut Russian volumes more sharply or risk a trade confrontation with the United States.
Inside the U.S., the decision has clear economic implications. Energy traders and shipping interests gain room to operate. A push to enforce aggressive secondary sanctions would have complicated tanker routing, insurance coverage, and dollar clearing for cargoes suspected of involving Russian barrels. Industrial exporters that sell heavily into markets identified as top buyers of Russian energy also avoid an immediate hit from retaliatory tariffs or disrupted logistics.
The waiver, however, dilutes the threat behind the Graham Act’s design. For Ukraine and Eastern European states calling for maximum economic isolation of Russia, and for U.S. lawmakers who promoted the act as a firm test of Western resolve, the suspension raises doubts about how far Washington is prepared to go in penalizing Moscow’s war economy and those who sustain it. Repeated use of such waivers can encourage energy buyers to assume that the harshest tools will remain unused.
The decision feeds into a broader debate over how to manage Russia’s role in global energy markets. Cutting Russian revenue remains a declared Western goal, but efforts to do so through price caps, the redirection of flows to alternative buyers, and domestic political constraints in consuming countries have complicated attempts to squeeze Moscow without sparking new supply shocks.
Sanctions function as leverage only if partners believe the United States is willing to bear costs in trade and energy to enforce them. Trump’s waiver keeps U.S. options open while signalling to key buyers of Russian hydrocarbons that they will not, for the moment, be pushed into an immediate confrontation. What matters next is whether Congress seeks to narrow the president’s waiver authority, whether the administration ties the suspension to specific changes in Russian behaviour, and whether any of the targeted countries now move to secure longer‑term oil and gas deals with Moscow under the protection of this pause.
Sources
- OSINT