Republicans turn on Trump over Russia sanctions waiver
President Donald Trump is facing criticism from some Republican lawmakers after waiving key measures in a Russia sanctions law he signed last month, with some warning the move could undermine pressure on Moscow.
Trump signed an executive order Friday evening waiving key sanctions and tariffs intended to pressure Russia to end its war in Ukraine that began in February 2022. The decision drew criticism from lawmakers in both parties and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, while receiving praise from a senior Russian official.
Republican Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina called the decision “beyond irresponsible.”
“What part of enforcing a law passed 86-11 by the Senate does the President and his advisors not understand?” Tillis wrote on X Saturday. “It’s unconscionable that this administration is capitulating to a Russian dictator who illegally invaded Ukraine and butchers innocent civilians every single day.”
Representative Don Bacon, a Nebraska Republican, posted on X, “The President is prolonging the war, not ending it.”
Named after the late GOP Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, the legislation was designed to increase pressure on Moscow by targeting Russian officials, banks and the network of tankers used to transport Russian oil and gas amid its ongoing war with Ukraine.
Senator John Cornyn, a Texas Republican, also slammed the decision, writing on X: “Lindsey would be appalled.”
Republican Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt, previously said in an exclusive interview with Newsweek that the proposal risks prolonging the war in Ukraine while doing little to lower fuel prices.
White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers previously told Newsweek that Trump has “successfully negotiated another great deal to supply the global market with massive amounts of diesel and bring prices down.”
She added: “Lowering prices for America’s great farmers, truckers, and families remains a top priority as the President simultaneously urges both sides of the Russia-Ukraine conflict to stop strikes against refineries, which are driving up costs and hurting American consumers.”
Newsweek reached out to the White House for further insight into the decision.
Patrick Casale, a senior adviser to Nevada GOP chairman Michael McDonald, told Newsweek that Trump’s decision is part of a broader effort to bring down fuel prices through measures including the recent diesel deal, while also seeking to end the war in Ukraine.
“It’s funny how those Republicans will do anything in their power to hurt him,” Casale said, criticizing GOP lawmakers who have opposed the move.
He suggested the decision could help push both sides toward negotiations.
Perhaps this will “motivate Ukraine and Russia to sit down and end the war,” Casale said.
What Trump’s Russia Sanctions Order Does
Trump signed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 into law on September 18. The Friday executive order waives the application of several sanctions provisions and additional tariffs authorized under the law.
“I am hereby waiving the application of such sanctions, restrictions, and duties provided for in the Graham Act,” the executive order reads. “I have submitted to the Congress a certification that the issuance of such a waiver at this time is in the national interests of the United States.”
The law authorizes a 500 percent tariff on goods imported from Russia, subject to statutory exceptions, as well as potential 100 percent tariffs on goods from the five largest importers of Russian-origin crude oil and natural gas if they make new purchases on or after October 18. It also provides for 100 percent tariffs on goods from the five leading facilitators of Russian oil sanctions evasion.
The waiver means these additional duties, which were set to take effect Sunday, are not automatically imposed while it remains in effect.
Trump has said the U.S. is working very closely with the leaders of Russia and Ukraine to end the conflict.
“We continue to seek an end to the disastrous war between Russia and Ukraine, which is killing, as I said, thousands and thousands of people every month,” Trump said during his September 22 address to the United Nations General Assembly.
Trump also referenced his recent signing of the sanctions law, saying it gives him massive new tariff authorities.
“And if necessary, I will have to use them. It’s time to stop the killing,” he said.
Russia and Ukraine React to Sanctions Waiver
Zelensky criticized the decision Saturday, saying the United States had set aside legislation intended to pressure Moscow to end the war.
“At a time when the Russians have carried out such a massive attack on our energy sector, a decision was unfortunately made in America to completely disregard the Lindsey Graham Act, which was supposed to impose truly effective pressure on Russia to bring this war to an end,” he wrote on X.
Zelensky described the strikes as one of Russia’s largest attacks on Ukraine’s energy sector, targeting more than 15 power facilities. Overnight Russian attacks killed at least four people, including an ambulance driver, and wounded dozens.
A special envoy to Russian President Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, praised Trump’s decision.
“The suspension of some of the provisions of the Graham Act marks an important and truly historic moment,” Kirill Dmitriev wrote in a statement.
The waiver adds to tensions between Washington and Kyiv over the Trump administration’s approach to Russia, particularly its efforts to increase energy supplies while seeking lower fuel prices.
Democrats Condemn Trump’s Decision
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, said Trump just gave Putin the “best birthday gift he’ll get this year.”
“By giving the Russian economy life support Trump’s deal with the devil keeps getting dirtier,” Schumer wrote on X Saturday. “There’s nothing America First about Trump caving in to Putin and exempting Russia from US sanctions.”
Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat who helped draft the sanctions legislation, also condemned the move, accusing Trump of undermining U.S. allies and helping Moscow.
“Donald Trump confirms again that he stands on the side of a bloodthirsty thug & the enablers of Russia’s war machine & against the majority of Americans, their representatives in both houses of Congress, & our European allies,” he wrote on X. “These waivers have nothing to do with our national security, & everything to do with sucking up to Vladimir Putin.”
Trump’s Waiver Follows Russian Diesel Deal
Trump’s decision comes a week after he announced an agreement with Putin to increase diesel supplies to U.S. and global markets in an effort to reduce rising energy prices.
“We need oil for the world, and this is diesel, which is what we need, so we’re very happy to get it,” Trump told reporters when the deal was announced.
Lawmakers from both sides of the political aisle have argued that easing restrictions on Russian energy could provide Moscow with additional revenue while its war against Ukraine continues.
Earlier this month, Tillis joined a bipartisan group of 12 senators in urging Trump to rescind the agreement. In a letter to the president, the lawmakers argued the deal would provide Putin with additional revenue to fund the war in Ukraine.
“Granting Moscow the ability to sell Russian diesel freely in global markets damages American security interests and is a betrayal of the people of Ukraine, who continue to defend themselves from Putin’s murderous, illegal war. This deal is a gift to our adversary and a betrayal of our Allies; it should be rescinded,” the senators wrote in the October 13 letter.
The executive order does not specifically mention the diesel deal, and no direct link between the agreement and the broader sanctions waivers has been established.
Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here. Contact Newsweek editors for this story: Steve Mollman and Anthony Murray.
