What the Paused U.S. Russia Sanctions Would Have Done

What would the new U.S. sanctions on Russia have done?

The Graham Act was a law aimed at Russia over its continuing invasion of Ukraine. Its most immediate measures concerned trade: higher duties on Russian goods imported into the United States, and tariffs on some countries that buy Russian oil or gas. ³

A duty is a tax charged on goods brought into a country. The law required duties on all Russian goods imported into the U.S. to rise by as much as 500%. It also called for tariffs of up to 100% on countries including China and India if they were among the top five purchasers of Russian crude oil or gas. ³

Those figures describe the maximum rates in the law, not a report that those rates had already been imposed. The measures were due to start shortly after the law’s deadline, but Trump signed an order waiving these provisions beforehand. ²³

Why would tariffs on other countries affect Russia?

The law sought to put pressure on Russia and on countries that bought its energy exports. The idea, as reflected in the measure’s design, was to make purchases of Russian oil and gas carry a trade cost for certain buyers. ³

The potential effect would therefore have extended beyond direct trade between the United States and Russia. But the available reporting does not establish how much the tariffs would have changed energy purchases, Russian revenue, or the conduct of the war. Those outcomes should not be treated as certain.

What did Trump’s decision to pause the measures mean?

Trump signed an executive order waiving the two trade provisions before their implementation deadline. He told Congress that issuing the waiver was in the national interest. ³ The reporting describes the move as a pause or waiver of those provisions, not as the repeal of the law. ²³

The order preserved earlier U.S. sanctions on Russia, CNBC reported. ³ That means the decision did not, by itself, lift all existing sanctions. The available sources do not spell out every earlier measure or how long this waiver will remain in effect.

What has Zelenskyy said about the pause?

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged support for the new sanctions and called Trump’s decision unfortunate, according to PBS. He did not directly criticize Trump in his remarks, as tensions between Ukraine and Washington were deepening. ¹

The disagreement is about a concrete policy choice: whether to put the law’s trade measures into effect or waive them. The sources establish Zelenskyy’s response and Trump’s stated reason, but do not provide enough information to assess what either side expects the pause to achieve.

What remains unclear about the Russia sanctions waiver?

The reporting says the waiver covered higher duties on Russian goods and tariffs on certain buyers of Russian energy. It does not fully describe how the law’s other possible sanctions provisions will be handled. CNBC notes that the act could also sanction Russian leaders and officials, but the supplied report does not give a complete account of their status. ³

It is also not clear from these sources whether the administration will later apply the waived trade measures, change its approach, or seek another course. The practical effects on trade, energy purchases, and Russia’s ability to fund its war are not established in the material available here.