White House Poised to Waive Russia Sanctions by Oct. 18 Deadline as Trump Defends Diesel Deal
Updated
Updated · POLITICO · Oct 13
White House Poised to Waive Russia Sanctions by Oct. 18 Deadline as Trump Defends Diesel Deal
2 articles · Updated · POLITICO · Oct 13
Summary
Oct. 18 is the first deadline under the Graham Russia sanctions law, but the White House is expected to send Congress a waiver instead of naming targets and imposing penalties.
The law lets President Donald Trump bypass the measures by declaring a waiver is in the U.S. national interest, a low bar that Hill aides say leaves Congress with little recourse.
The expectation reflects Trump’s softer line toward Moscow and last week’s diesel deal with Russia, even though Sunday is also the deadline for tariffs on top buyers of Russian oil.
Pressure is building anyway: Sens. Roger Wicker and Jeanne Shaheen urged implementation, focusing on Russia’s shadow fleet and sanctions-evasion finance networks, while former sanctions coordinator Daniel Fried said only a new Putin disruption could sway Trump.