US President Donald Trump has used his presidential authority to hold back a number of sanctions on Russia that Congress recently approved to punish Moscow over its war in Ukraine. In an executive order issued on Friday night, Trump said withholding some of the measures was in the US “national interests”.
Trump signed the sanctions bill into law in September. The move comes days after he said the United States would import Russian diesel to ease energy prices before the November midterm elections, which will determine which party controls Congress. The plan has shocked lawmakers and triggered a bipartisan backlash.
Graham sanctions law targets Russia’s economy
The law is named after the late Republican senator from South Carolina, Lindsey Graham, a staunch defender of Ukraine in Washington before he died on 11 July. It aimed at Russia’s economy and gave Trump broad power to impose tariffs of up to 100% on the five largest buyers of Russian oil and gas, most notably China and India.
It also targets Russian President Vladimir Putin, senior figures in the Russian government, banks and other financial institutions, and Russia’s “shadow fleet” of tankers used to get around existing sanctions.
Lawmakers and allies press Trump on implementation
On Thursday, a bipartisan group of 20 US lawmakers wrote to Trump urging him to respect the new law, which is due to take effect on 18 October. They thanked him for signing the bill and called for its “full and faithful implementation”.
The lawmakers said the law would be “decisive in forcing Putin to take peace talks seriously” and asked the administration “to apply the Graham law’s sanctions to their fullest extent and without delay”.
Last week, Trump said he had held a phone call with Putin and agreed to buy diesel from Moscow. US allies criticised the move, worried it could help Russia’s war effort. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the deal a gift to Putin and “an investment in a war that must be ended”.
