 |
Trump Waives Russia Sanctions Days Before They Kicked In: Big Relief for India, New Low in Ties With Zelensky
US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order waiving sweeping new Russia sanctions — including tariffs of up to 100% on the biggest buyers of Russian oil and gas, among them India and China — just days before the measures were due to take effect. The order, issued on Friday night, marks the sharpest break yet between Washington and Kyiv and triggered instant bipartisan fury in Congress.
The sanctions were part of the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 — named after the late Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, one of Washington's most prominent Russia hawks — which Trump himself signed into law in mid-September. They were scheduled to take effect on Sunday, October 18. Instead, using the law's own waiver authority, Trump put the entire package on indefinite hold, saying the decision was in America's "national interests" — without explaining why.
What the Waiver Does
The executive order, released by the White House on Friday, invokes Section 115 of the Graham Act, which allows the president to waive sanctions after certifying to Congress that a waiver serves the national interest. Trump said he had submitted that certification. The order states the waiver will remain in effect until the administration decides "further action is appropriate" — with no end date.
The measures that have now been shelved included:
- Tariffs of up to 100% on goods imported into the US from the five largest buyers of Russian crude oil and gas — a list that includes China and India, the two biggest customers for Moscow's energy exports.
- Direct sanctions on President Vladimir Putin, senior Russian government officials, and the country's defence and banking institutions.
- Sanctions on Russia's "shadow fleet" — the network of tankers Moscow uses to move oil while evading Western restrictions.
The package was designed to starve the Kremlin of the energy revenue that funds the war in Ukraine, now in its fourth year. A bipartisan group of 20 US lawmakers had written to Trump on Thursday urging him to apply the law "to their fullest extent and without delay," calling it "decisive in forcing Putin to take peace talks seriously."
Why Now: Midterms, Oil Prices and the Zelensky Feud
The waiver caps a turbulent week in US–Ukraine relations. It follows Trump's deal last week to import Russian diesel in an effort to bring down fuel prices ahead of the November midterm elections — a move that blindsided European leaders and, by his own account, left President Zelensky feeling "betrayed."
Trump has repeatedly blamed Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries for rising fuel prices, eager to shift attention from his deeply unpopular war in Iran. Kyiv briefly paused those strikes at Washington's request, but resumed them this week — and Russia has continued pounding Ukraine's energy infrastructure throughout. On Friday, Trump called Kyiv's resumed strikes a "disgrace," and in a Newsmax interview on Thursday said: "I find Zelensky to be more difficult to deal with than Putin." He has also publicly suggested Ukraine needs a new leader.
The rift runs deeper than rhetoric. CNN has reported that Kyiv has run out of interceptor missiles for its US-made Patriot air-defence systems even as Russia launches devastating air and drone strikes on Ukrainian power plants, that Washington has pulled back intelligence sharing, and that restrictions on the military-grade version of Elon Musk's Starlink satellite network disrupted Ukrainian drone operations and early-warning systems this week — though Zelensky said on Friday the situation had improved.
Bipartisan Fury in Washington
The backlash was immediate and crossed party lines:
- Sen. Elizabeth Warren (Democrat) called the waiver "an abject and predictable failure in leadership," citing "strong bipartisan support" for Ukraine.
- Rep. Don Bacon (Republican) said Trump "is prolonging the war, not ending it."
- Rep. Don Beyer (Democrat) wrote that "Trump's latest surrender to Putin again betrays our Ukrainian partners and defies clear congressional intent of legislation designed to punish Russia for its illegal war of aggression."
- Sen. Richard Blumenthal, who helped draft the bill, said: "These waivers have nothing to do with our national security, and everything to do with sucking up to Vladimir Putin."
In Moscow, the mood was celebratory. Kirill Dmitriev, head of Russia's sovereign wealth fund, hailed the waiver on X as "an important and truly historic moment," adding that "economic cooperation between Russia and the United States serves the interest of both nations."
What It Means for India
For India, the waiver is an immediate and significant relief. India is among the largest buyers of Russian crude oil in the world, and the Graham Act's tariff provisions would have exposed Indian goods entering the US to duties of up to 100% — a potentially devastating blow to bilateral trade at a moment when New Delhi and Washington are already navigating tariff tensions.
With the waiver in place, that threat is lifted for now. But the relief is fragile: the law remains on the books, the waiver is indefinite but reversible, and the White House has said it will keep monitoring energy purchases. India's refiners can continue buying discounted Russian crude without the immediate shadow of US penalties — but the sword is still hanging, not gone.
Europe Rallies Around Zelensky
European leaders moved quickly to distance themselves from Washington's turn. At a summit in Brussels on Friday, Zelensky praised the continent's "real leaders" — a remark widely read as a veiled swipe at Trump — while urging EU leaders to keep financing Kyiv's fight with nearly $80 billion more next year.
The European Union said it is preparing a 22nd package of sanctions against Russia since the full-scale invasion began, stressing that European pressure on Moscow will be strengthened unless Putin stops the war — a direct contrast with the Trump administration's direction of travel.
Watch: BBC News Report on the Waiver
BBC News reports on Trump's decision to waive the Russia sanctions and the deepening row with Zelensky:
Video: "Donald Trump waives Russia sanctions as row with Zelensky intensifies" — BBC News, YouTube (October 17, 2026).
What to Watch Next
- Congressional response: Whether lawmakers try to override or constrain the waiver — the Graham Act passed with strong bipartisan support, and the revolt is already bipartisan.
- Oil markets: Whether the waiver and the diesel deal stabilise prices — or whether Ukraine's continued refinery strikes keep pressure on.
- India's next move: New Delhi will be watching whether the waiver holds, and how the parallel India–US trade talks unfold.
- Zelensky's position: With Patriot interceptors exhausted and US backing wobbling, Kyiv is leaning harder on Europe — and the EU's new sanctions package is the first test of that shift.
Trump Russia Sanctions Waiver: FAQs
What exactly did Trump waive?
Sweeping sanctions and tariffs under the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 — including up to 100% tariffs on goods from the biggest buyers of Russian oil and gas (China, India and others), sanctions on Putin and senior Russian officials, banks, defence institutions, and Russia's "shadow fleet" of tankers. The measures were due to take effect on October 18.
Why did Trump say he did it?
His executive order says the waiver is in the "national interests of the United States" — but it gives no specific reason. The decision follows his push to lower fuel prices before November's midterm elections and his escalating feud with Ukraine's President Zelensky.
How does this affect India?
India is one of the world's largest buyers of Russian crude oil. Without the waiver, Indian goods exported to the US could have faced tariffs of up to 100%. The waiver removes that immediate threat — but the law stays on the books and the waiver can be reversed.
What is the Lindsey Graham Act?
The Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, named after the late Republican Senator Lindsey Graham — a noted Russia hawk who died in July. Trump signed it into law in mid-September; it was designed to pressure Putin into ending the war in Ukraine.
How did Congress react?
With bipartisan anger. Democrats called it a "surrender to Putin"; Republican Rep. Don Bacon said Trump is "prolonging the war, not ending it." A day earlier, 20 lawmakers from both parties had urged Trump to enforce the law fully.
What is Europe doing?
The EU is preparing its 22nd sanctions package against Russia and says pressure on Moscow will be strengthened — moving in the opposite direction from Washington.
Based on reporting by CNN, The Times, and the Washington Examiner, as of October 17, 2026. This is a developing story.