Trump pauses new Russia sanctions, citing national interest

The pause comes two days before the law’s implementation deadline and follows a week‑old diesel import deal with Russia.

By Felo News Desk · Published Sat, 17 Oct 2026 13:14:25 GMT

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday, Oct. 16, that puts on hold a sweeping sanctions package targeting the Russian economy, telling Congress the pause is in the national interest, according to multiple outlets.

What happened

The sanctions bill, named after the late Senator Lindsey Graham, had passed the House and Senate with large bipartisan majorities in September. Trump signed the legislation last month. The law set a deadline for implementation two days after the executive order, which he issued on Oct. 16. The order suspends the sanctions until further notice.

What the reports add

Al Jazeera noted the executive order was issued two days before the statutory deadline and a week after Trump announced a diesel‑import deal with Russia. Reuters was not among the sources, but the New York Post and Yahoo! (citing the Associated Press) both emphasized that the pause came just two days before the law’s deadline. The Australian SMH highlighted polling that shows Americans disapproving of Trump’s handling of the economy and the Iran war, while the Yahoo! article added that the pause drew condemnation from congressional Democrats.

What was said

Trump told Congress the pause was “in the national interest,” as reported by the New York Post. Al Jazeera quoted the president’s statement that the waiver serves U.S. national interest. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, referenced in Al Jazeera’s follow‑up story, called the diesel deal a “gift” to Russia, but his remarks are not directly about the sanctions pause.

How it came about

The sanctions package was drafted by Senator Lindsey Graham and Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, aiming to cut financial flows to Moscow’s war effort. Felo News previously covered the bill’s passage on Sep. 19 (Trump signs sweeping Russia sanctions bill) and the related tariff provisions (Trump signs bill to impose 100% tariffs on Russian energy buyers). After the bill’s enactment, Trump announced a deal to import Russian diesel, prompting criticism from Ukraine and European allies. The diesel waiver, which the Treasury extended until April 2027, set the stage for the later executive order pausing the broader sanctions.

Key facts

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Oct. 16 to pause a bipartisan Russia sanctions package. (nypost.com)
The sanctions bill, named after Senator Lindsey Graham, had passed Congress with large bipartisan majorities in September. (smh.com.au)
The pause was announced two days before the law’s implementation deadline. (aljazeera.com)
The move follows a week‑old deal to import Russian diesel, which the Treasury waived until April 2027. (aljazeera.com)