An executive order blocks penalties Congress passed
US President Donald Trump has used his executive powers to set aside many of the Russia penalties that Congress had passed to punish Moscow over its war in Ukraine. In an executive order issued Friday night, he said withholding certain sanctions serves the American national interest. Trump had put the sanctions bill into law in September, and it was set to start operating on Sunday.[S1][S2][S3][S4][S5][S6][S7][S8]
The measure carries the name of Lindsey Graham, the late Republican senator from South Carolina who died on 11 July and who had been among Ukraine's most committed defenders in Washington. It was built to squeeze the Russian economy and handed Trump wide latitude to impose tariffs of as much as 100% on the five largest purchasers of Russian oil and gas, with China and India the most prominent among them.[S1]
Beyond the tariffs, the statute provides for sanctions on Russian President Vladimir Putin, senior members of his government, banks and other financial institutions, and the so-called shadow fleet of tankers Moscow uses to get around restrictions already in place.[S1]
Lawmakers push back as diesel deal draws criticism
The order followed a week in which Trump said he had spoken by telephone with Putin and had agreed to buy diesel from Moscow. He had earlier said the US would import Russian diesel to lower energy prices ahead of November's midterm elections, which will determine which party controls Congress. The plan unsettled legislators and produced objections from both parties.[S1]
A group of 20 US legislators from both parties wrote to Trump on Thursday urging him to carry out the new law. While thanking him for signing it, they called for its complete and faithful enforcement. In their view, implementing it would be pivotal in making Putin take peace negotiations seriously, and they asked the administration to impose the Graham law's sanctions as fully as possible and without delay.[S1]
US allies criticized the diesel arrangement, worried that it could aid Russia's war effort. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described the deal as a gift to Putin and as an investment in a war that must be ended.[S1]
