Trump waives Russian sanctions outlined in Graham Act before they take effect

President Trump signed an executive order Friday evening to waive sanctions against Russia set to take effect soon under a recently signed legislative package.

The president officially signed the sanctions package into law last month, which was posthumously dedicated to the late Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-S.C.). The legislation sought to put pressure on the Kremlin to end its yearslong military operations against Ukraine by imposing tariffs on top Russian energy purchasers and those who help the country evade sanctions.

The move comes as the Trump administration pushes efforts to lower fuel prices, which have risen amid the U.S.’s war in Iran.

Trump noted in his Friday order that the legislation allows him the ability to “waive the application of any sanctions provision” for foreign individuals.

“I am hereby waiving the application of such sanctions, restrictions, and duties provided for in the Graham Act,” he said in the order. “I have submitted to the Congress a certification that the issuance of such a waiver at this time is in the national interests of the United States.”

The move follows Trump’s decision to strike a deal with Russia last week to permit the country to sell diesel products to the U.S. and in the world market amid global fuel shortages.

Under this agreement, the president said Russia could “immediately” begin supplying 300,000 tons of diesel, an additional 500,000 tons in November and then one million tons “immediately thereafter.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pushed back on the news, telling Piers Morgan in a Wednesday interview he felt “betrayed” by the president’s decision.

“It’s more complicated than just my emotions or just my feelings,” he added. “Yes, it depends not on me. Our country has to survive.”

The deal elicited bipartisan backlash on Capitol Hill, with five Republican lawmakers joining their Democratic colleagues to denounce the relief.

“We urge the Administration to revoke this license and not issue further general licenses that reopen Russian energy transactions and restore revenue to the Kremlin’s war chest,” the lawmakers wrote in a Thursday letter to the Trump administration.