Donald Trump has put a new package of sanctions against Russia on hold, intervening just two days before the deadline for measures he signed into law last month to be implemented.

The US president signed an executive order on Friday and told Congress the pause was in the national interest. The White House did not immediately set out a public explanation of that judgement, although a notification said a report explaining the decision had been sent to lawmakers.

The move suspends the application of the new measures rather than repealing the legislation. It marks a change in the administration’s handling of a bill that secured bipartisan support in Congress and was intended to restrict the financial resources available to Moscow for its war in Ukraine.

A law signed, then suspended

The package targeted Russian officials, banks and the shadow fleet of tankers used to transport Russian energy. It also directed the president to impose tariffs of up to 100% on the five largest importers of Russian oil or natural gas.

An exception covered countries importing less than 15% of Russia’s natural gas exports that had taken significant steps to reduce those purchases. The legislation therefore reached beyond Russian institutions themselves, seeking to apply pressure through the countries buying Russian energy.

Trump had approved the bill in September. Friday’s order came shortly before its own implementation deadline, leaving a gap between Congress’s decision to authorise the package and the president’s willingness to apply it.

The law was named after Lindsey Graham, the South Carolina senator and close Trump ally who died in July after returning from Ukraine. Graham had pressed for stronger sanctions as a means of encouraging Russia to end the war. Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat, also helped draft the bill.

Following Graham’s death, lawmakers supported the measure by large majorities in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. That history makes the suspension politically significant: a proposal supported across party lines has been paused by the president who gave it his signature.

Energy prices and the Ukraine dispute

The decision follows Trump’s announcement a week earlier that the United States had agreed to buy diesel from Russia in an effort to reduce global energy prices. He said Russia would supply more than 300,000 tons immediately, followed by further deliveries in November and afterwards.

Republicans and Democrats criticised that proposed arrangement, arguing it would provide Russia with additional resources for the war without materially reducing fuel prices. Those objections concern the expected effects of the deal; the announcement itself does not establish that all the promised deliveries have taken place.

The sanctions pause also comes amid a worsening dispute between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Trump has blamed Zelenskyy for failing to reach an agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the fighting.

The administration’s stated justification for Friday’s action was the national interest. With its detailed explanation sent to Congress but not immediately outlined publicly, the decision leaves questions about how the White House is balancing energy costs, diplomatic negotiations and economic pressure on Russia.

Congressional criticism

Democratic congressman Don Beyer said he and other lawmakers had warned that Trump might suspend the package. He called for Congress to change what he described as a flawed law so that it would more firmly support Ukraine.

Darline Graham, appointed to complete her late brother’s Senate term and now seeking the seat in the election, had previously praised the legislation. During a debate earlier in the week, she acknowledged that the president would decide how to use the tools it provided.

Her remarks underscored a tension now at the centre of the dispute. Congress passed sanctions intended to influence Russia’s conduct, but the president retained discretion over their implementation. Friday’s order demonstrates the practical importance of that discretion.

For now, the immediate development is a pause in this newly enacted package, not an announcement that every US restriction on Russia has been removed. The next political test is whether lawmakers accept the administration’s explanation or seek changes that make the new measures harder to set aside.