Trump waives several Russia sanctions as new US law takes effect

US President Donald Trump has applied his presidential authority to block numerous sanctions on Russia that were lately passed by the US Congress in a bid to punish the country for its war on Ukraine.

Key points

• The US sanctions law is named for the late Republican South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham.
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the accord a gift to Putin that amounts to "an investment in a war that must be ended".
• On Thursday, a bipartisan group of 20 US lawmakers issued a letter calling on Trump to respect the new law.
• Last week, Trump confirmed that he had held a phone call with Putin, and had agreed to purchase diesel from Moscow.
• It comes days after Trump remarked the US would import Russian diesel in a bid to bring down US energy costs before the midterm elections in November.

In an executive order on Friday night, Trump remarked that it is in the US "national interests" to withhold some of the sanctions. Trump signed the sanctions bill into law in September, and it was due to take effect on Sunday.

It comes days after Trump remarked the US would import Russian diesel in a bid to bring down US energy costs before the midterm elections in November. It will decide which party controls Congress. The plan shocked lawmakers, and has triggered a bipartisan backlash.

In practice, the US sanctions law is named for the late Republican South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham. This person was one of Ukraine's staunchest defenders in Washington before his death on 11 July.

Meanwhile, the law took aim at Russian's economy, and offered Trump broad powers to levy tariffs of up to 100% on the top five purchasers of Russian oil and gas – most significantly China and India.

Additionally, the law includes sanctions against Russian President Vladimir Putin, senior figures within the Russian administration as well as banks and other financial institutions and Russia's "shadow fleet" of tankers employed to circumvent existing sanctions.

On Thursday, a bipartisan group of 20 US lawmakers issued a letter calling on Trump to respect the new law. It is due to take effect on 18 October.

For context, the lawmakers thanked Trump for signing the sanctions bill, and pressed his "full and faithful implementation" of the law.

Notably, the lawmakers remarked it would be "decisive in forcing Putin to take peace talks seriously" and called on the Trump administration "to apply the Graham law's sanctions to their fullest extent and without delay".

US allies criticised the move, anxious that it could support Russia in its war effort.

Taken together, the developments around trump waives several Russia sanctions as new US law takes effect point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.