US President Donald Trump is waiving many sanctions, ⁠restrictions and duties days before they were to take effect under a bill that he signed into law last month.

Trump's executive order waiving the sanctions on Friday comes as he has been warming toward Russia and publicly criticising Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, including suggesting that Ukraine needs a new leader.

The legislation, ⁠whose primary backer in Congress was ⁠the late Trump ally and senator Lindsey Graham, ⁠would have imposed tariffs of up to 100 percent within 30 days on all goods ⁠brought into the United States from the five largest importers of Russian crude oil or gas, as well as any country that knowingly bought oil or gas ⁠30 days after the law was enacted or was among the top five countries helping Russia evade sanctions.

Trump signed the Lindsey O Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 in mid-September.

"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," Trump said in the order released by the White House.

Countries such as India, which is among the biggest buyers of Russian oil, have raised concerns about the Russia ⁠sanctions bill. (Reuters)



Edited by Tony Sabine