Security · Energy · Diplomacy
Trump waives Graham Act Russia sanctions; Moscow sets 15–20 day diesel timeline
US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on 16 October waiving key sanctions and tariffs on Russia under the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, including proposed 500% tariffs on Russian imports and 100% tariffs on buyers of Russian oil and gas, per RT. On 18 October, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said Russian diesel deliveries to the US would begin within 15–20 days of commercial contracts being signed, per Izvestia, while US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said core oil restrictions remain in force, per RIA Novosti.
Moderate divergence
Where they split
US and European outlets lead with Ukrainian and congressional criticism that the waiver rewards Moscow, Russian outlets highlight diesel delivery preparations and officials calling sanctions ineffective, and Al Jazeera ties the waiver to energy prices driven up by the US-Israel war on Iran.
The insight
Russian state agencies carry both Moscow's preparations to ship diesel to the US market and the US Energy Secretary's statement that core oil sanctions remain tougher than ever. Meanwhile, Al Jazeera contrasts European criticism of Washington's Russian diesel waiver with continuing EU imports of Russian gas.
What every bloc agrees on
Every covering bloc reports that US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on 16 October waiving newly enacted Russia-related sanctions and tariffs under the Graham Act before they took effect. All covering blocs with full reports note that Trump certified the waiver to Congress as being in the US national interest, following an earlier US-Russia arrangement on Russian diesel.
The waiver in figures
- 500%
- Proposed tariff on imports from Russia waived by Trump (per RT)
- 100%
- Proposed tariff on major buyers of Russian oil and gas waived (per RT)
- 15–20
- Days after contracts are signed for Russian diesel to reach US (Izvestia)
- 2027
- Year until April of which US Treasury waived Russian diesel sanctions (AJ)
RT carries the 500% and 100% tariff figures from the Graham Act; Izvestia carries Alexander Novak's 15–20 day delivery timeline; Al Jazeera carries the April 2027 expiration for the US Treasury's diesel waiver.
Coverage from 5 of 6 blocs: Europe 5 sources, Russia 5 sources, China not observed, Iran 1 source, GCC & Arab 1 source, United States 4 sources.
How each bloc frames it
Sources are grouped by where they are registered, owned and funded — not by editorial line.
United States 4 sources
Bipartisan backlash over ‘deal with the devil’ as Zelenskyy warns of more relief
Reuters, CNBC, UPI, Axios and CBS News lead with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's condemnation of the order and congressional opposition. Axios reports that both Republicans and Democrats called the waiver ‘irresponsible’ and ‘a deal with the devil’, noting lawmakers already plan a bipartisan push after the election to overturn Trump's earlier Russian diesel deal. UPI quotes Democratic Representative Don Beyer calling the move a ‘surrender to Putin’ that defies congressional intent, and notes the White House has not clarified why the waiver serves the national interest.
CBS News · CNBC · United Press International · Axios
Russia 5 sources
‘Bone-crushing’ tariffs waived as ministries prepare 15–20 day diesel shipments
RT reports that Trump waived ‘bone-crushing’ measures including 500% tariffs on Russian imports and 100% tariffs on energy buyers that would have hit China and India hardest, while TASS relays envoy Kirill Dmitriev calling sanctions ‘ineffective Biden-think’. Izvestia reports Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak's statement that the Russian and US energy ministries are working together and that seaborne diesel shipments to the US will arrive 15–20 days after commercial contracts are signed. RIA Novosti carries US Energy Secretary Chris Wright saying core US sanctions on Russia remain in place and that Trump made an exception only for diesel exports, while RBC notes Hungary's call to extend its US oil sanctions exemption for another year.
Izvestia · RIA Novosti · RT · RBC · TASS
Europe 5 sources
Waiver ‘rewards’ Putin during power plant strikes as US-Kyiv rift deepens
The Guardian and BBC News place the waiver alongside Russian strikes on Ukrainian power plants before winter and a deepening row between Trump and Zelenskyy. The Guardian reports Zelenskyy's warning that the waiver is a ‘reward’ for Putin that will intensify the war and his call for Europe to open its own negotiations with Moscow as Washington seeks business deals with the Kremlin. BBC News, Euronews and France 24 carry Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev hailing the order as a ‘truly historic moment’.
Reuters · BBC News · Euronews · France 24 · The Guardian
GCC & Arab 1 source
Energy price spike from Iran war drives Trump’s turn to Russian diesel
Al Jazeera ties Trump's sanctions waiver and the earlier US Treasury waiver on Russian diesel sales until April 2027 to Washington's effort to lower global energy prices that have spiked during the US-Israel war on Iran. It reports that while Zelenskyy called the diesel deal ‘a gift’ to Putin and European partners criticised the move, Trump has accused European countries of ‘hypocrisy’ over continuing EU imports of Russian gas.
Al Jazeera
Iran 1 source
Trump waives Congress-passed Russia sanctions before law takes effect
Press TV carries a brief report stating that Trump waived numerous Russia sanctions recently passed by the US Congress just as the law was set to take effect.
Press TV
China not observed
Not observed in our registry between 17 and 18 October.
No Global Times, CGTN, South China Morning Post or China Daily article was found in the window.
Outcomes
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What holds up, and what does not
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How it unfolded
- 16–18 SepUS House passes the Graham Act on 16 Sep; Trump signs it into law on 18 Sep.
- 9 OctPutin and Trump reach an agreement on supplying Russian diesel to the global market.
- 16 OctTrump signs an executive order waiving key Graham Act sanctions and tariffs on Russia.
- 17 OctZelenskyy warns the waiver encourages Putin; Russian envoy Dmitriev calls it 'historic'.
- 18 OctNovak sets 15–20 day US diesel delivery timeline; Wright says main sanctions remain.
Where it is written, and where it lands
US executive action on Russia sanctions and diesel trade reshapes war pressure on Ukraine and energy flows to major buyers.
Decided in Washington, felt in Moscow and Kyiv
Coverage — where it is written Coverage comes from 16 outlets across five blocs: five in the United States, five in Russia, two in the United Kingdom, two in France, one in Qatar and one in Iran.
Impact — where it lands The waiver directly affects the United States, Russia and Ukraine, while altering tariff and energy exemption exposure for major Russian crude buyers China and India, EU gas importers including Hungary, and Iran under the same act.
Sources on this topic
Wire copy is attributed to the originating agency and not counted twice.
Method
The exact text of the report Trump submitted to Congress explaining the national-interest certification is not published in the package, and specific tariff rates (500% and 100%) and delivery timelines (15–20 days) each trace to single Russian outlets. Chinese outlets are absent from the package despite RT noting China and India would have been hardest hit by the waived secondary tariffs.