President Donald Trump has waived new sanctions against Russia that Congress passed into law last month. Congress approved the sanctions as a tribute to the late Senator Lindsey Graham. 

In September, Trump signed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 into law. Graham introduced the legislation in 2025, proposing tariffs of up to 500% on countries purchasing Russian oil and other energy products. The Republican Senator bragged that the legislation is “the most draconian bill I’ve ever seen in my life in the Senate.”

After Graham’s death, Congress added Iran to the bill and passed the legislation in his memory. Trump signed the bill in September. However, on Friday, the President issued waivers through an executive order for the sanctions against Russia. Trump argued the waivers were a matter of “national security.” 

The executive order applied only to Russia, and the sanctions on Iran remain in effect. Under the order, the waivers will remain in effect until Trump or senior administration officials determine that further action is appropriate.

Trump issued the waivers as he is struggling to lower fuel prices in the US before the midterm election. While the war against Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz have driven Brent crude oil prices from $61 per barrel in January to $109 per barrel on Friday, Trump has said gas prices are high because of the war between Ukraine and Russia. 

In recent weeks, Trump announced an energy truce between Russia and Ukraine and a major diesel deal with Moscow. The energy truce has failed to halt attacks on refineries and other oil infrastructure. 

On Saturday, Ukraine fired 1,000 drones at Russia, hitting an oil terminal in St. Petersburg among other targets. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claims Russia has violated the energy truce 76 times in the past week.