Trump reverses Russia sanctions weeks after signing bill

The conflict in Ukraine has now endured for more than four and a half years. Despite President Donald Trump's frequent campaign assurances that he would settle the war before taking office, fighting on the front lines continues without pause.

Trump first made that specific pledge at a rally in Council Bluffs, Iowa, on July 7, 2023. He told supporters at the event that he wanted people to stop dying and that he was on that side. He has since met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy twice at the White House. He also met once with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Anchorage, Alaska, in August 2025.

After the Alaska meeting, Trump described the session as very productive. He stated that the two leaders agreed on many points and made headway on others, though a formal deal had not yet been reached. He noted that there is no deal until there is a deal.

The diplomatic path has been accompanied by shifting economic pressure. On September 18, Trump signed bipartisan legislation named after the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. The bill imposed specific sanctions and tariffs targeting Russia. Three weeks later, on October 16, Trump signed an executive order that waived those same sanctions.

The war has lasted since early 2022. Trump's promise to end it before arriving at the Oval Office remains unfulfilled as the conflict enters its fifth year. The recent waiver of the Graham Act marks the latest adjustment in his administration's economic approach to Moscow.