In July 2025, Senator Lindsey Graham died suddenly after returning from a trip to Ukraine. His passing removed a prominent advocate for a tough legislative response to Russian actions. The bill bearing his name, often described as targeting "hellish sanctions" against Russia and Iran, had already begun moving through Congress.
Just weeks after Graham’s death, the sanctions legislation cleared its first procedural vote in the US Senate on July 29, 2025. By August 7, 2025, a strong bipartisan majority emerged: eighty‑six senators voted in favor of the bill, while eleven senators expressed opposition. The vote underscored broad congressional backing for measures designed to penalize Russian energy exports.
Yesterday, President Donald J. Trump signed an executive order implementing the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 and used that authority to fully waive the duties and most of the sanctions provisions. The order sets the tariff increases up to 500%, then waives them, so as written no new duties take effect. It also waives sections 102(a), 102(d), 102(e), 103 through 111 and 117. Section 102(d) codifies existing Russia sanctions. The order says the existing sanctions under earlier executive orders still apply. The order does not list section 102(b), which legal experts describe as directing a review of specified persons and vessels and sanctions on those who meet criteria, such as senior Russian officials. The waivers have no end date and last until the president or secretary of state decides further action is appropriate. The order directs the U.S. Trade Representative to monitor Russian energy purchases and sanctions evasion and to report on anything that might call for action on the waivers. Source: https://t.co/ktl5wRNjJp
On September 18, 2025, President Donald Trump signed the bill that would impose sanctions on the Russian government and state‑owned companies. The legislation proposed 100 percent tariffs on major importers of Russian energy and, for the top five importers, tariffs as high as 500 percent. The law also granted the president authority to waive sanctions if he determined they were not in the national interest of the United States.
On the same day he stated that he had reached an understanding with Vladimir Putin regarding Russian diesel deliveries to American and global markets.
Almost a year later, on October 9, 2026, Trump announced an agreement with Russia concerning diesel supplies. On the same day he stated that he had reached an understanding with Vladimir Putin regarding Russian diesel deliveries to American and global markets. The administration framed the deal as a step toward lowering global fuel prices.
Despite the advice of the Europeans, Zelensky has run out of nice words for his US counterpart, who he said “betrayed” Ukraine by buying Russian diesel. Perhaps it is because he feels that Ukraine is finally in a position to survive without US support. However, the conventional wisdom in Europe is that the Continent cannot step in to fill the void ⤵️ https://t.co/bQrvmRIaWl
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded critically to the announcement, describing the move as "a weak decision by strong partners." His comment highlighted concerns that accommodating Russian energy requests could undermine broader efforts to pressure Moscow.
The original schedule called for the sanctions to take effect on October 18, 2026. However, following the diesel agreement and the stated national‑interest rationale, the timeline shifted. On October 17, 2026, the implementation of the sanctions was postponed. That same day, Trump signed a decree suspending sanctions against the Russian government and state‑owned companies, justifying the move by citing US national interests.
A week later, on October 24, 2026, Trump issued an executive order that further suspended sanctions against Russia. The order reinforced the earlier decree and signaled that the administration intended to keep the punitive measures on hold while reviewing their impact on national interests.
As of the latest dated action in the record, the sanctions envisioned by the Lindsey Graham‑inspired legislation remain suspended. The administration continues to cite national interest as the justification for withholding the 100 percent and 500 percent tariffs on Russian energy importers, while the diesel supply agreement with Russia persists as a point of diplomatic discussion.