(Oct 17): US President Donald Trump waived massive tariffs linked to Russian energy exports mandated in a law that he signed last month, as the measures complicated his push to lower diesel prices ahead of the US midterm elections.

Trump invoked a waiver clause under the law, which was championed by the late Senator Lindsey Graham as a way to punish Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. The law also codified and expanded sanctions targeting Moscow.

“I am hereby waiving the application of such sanctions, restrictions, and duties provided for in the Graham Act. 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 an executive order released late Friday.

The directive does formally impose the tariffs, while suspending their implementation, meaning that Trump could apply them at another time if he chooses.

The measure gave the US president 30 days to impose 100% tariffs on all goods from the top five buyers of Russian crude. It would also slap sanctions on numerous Russian entities and impose 500% tariffs on all US imports of Russian energy products. That one month deadline was set to expire on Oct 18.

Those provisions conflict with his plan — announced last week — to work with Russian President Vladimir Putin to release the country’s diesel supplies into global markets. Trump is seeking to lower US diesel prices that are hovering at record highs weeks before the Nov 3 elections.

Trump’s decision marks a “truly historic moment”, Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev, who’s part of Putin’s negotiating team with US officials on the war in Ukraine, said Saturday in a post on the X platform. “Economic cooperation between Russia and the United States serves the interests of both nations.”

Russia carried out one of its largest attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure overnight, targeting 15 critical power generation and transmission facilities, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday in a social media post.

“Russia is trying to cause a blackout in Ukraine – right before winter. Russia is trying to leave millions of our people without electricity and heating,” Zelenskyy said. “A US sanctions blackout, easing pressure on the aggressor, financial rewards for Putin – all of this only encourages him to keep attacking.”

Waiving the tariffs risks fresh pushback from members of Congress, including many Republicans who were outraged by his decision on Russian diesel. A bipartisan group of senators signed a letter this week demanding that Trump rescind the deal with Putin and enforce the provisions of the Graham law.

“By waiving these sanctions, Trump is thumbing his nose at Congress’s direction that he ratchet up pressure on the Kremlin and enabling Vladimir Putin to continue his war of aggression,” Senator Elizabeth Warren said in a statement on Saturday. “There is strong bipartisan support for Ukraine and holding Russia accountable. Congress should reverse Trump’s diesel deal with Putin, surge support to Ukraine, and crack down on Russia and its enablers.”

Waiving the law also avoids a potential clash with the top purchasers of Russian energy products, China, India and Türkiye. 

Graham, a South Carolina Republican and long-time champion of Ukraine, wrote the bill before he died in July and its passage was seen as a way of honouring him. Graham had repeatedly called such sanctions the key to bringing Putin to the negotiating table to end his full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which is in its fifth year. 

Russia attacked Ukraine overnight with ballistic and cruise missiles as well as 332 Shahed-type drones, including 31 jet-powered models, the General Staff in Kyiv said on its Telegram channel. Defense forces intercepted four Kalibr cruise missiles and 289 drones, it said.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said on Telegram that it intercepted 610 Ukrainian drones overnight in 16 regions of the country and Crimea, which Putin annexed in 2014 from Ukraine, as well as over the Black Sea. 

Putin said late Friday that Russia will continue large-scale strikes on Ukraine’s military-industrial facilities and logistics hubs. 

Zelenskyy has ordered fresh attacks on Russian oil refineries, ending a pause in response to Trump’s call for an energy truce. He accused the US president and billionaire Elon Musk of undermining Kyiv’s ability to defend itself by restricting access to SpaceX’s Starshield satellite technology that Ukraine uses to help intercept Russian missile and drone attacks.

Trump said Friday that he didn’t order limitations on Ukraine’s access to Starshield and didn’t think Musk did so either. Musk has said the US government controls the system and makes decisions on its use.

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