Wright and Bessent Defend Trump's Russia Sanctions Waiver on Sunday Shows as Tillis and Darline Graham Push Back

Since President Trump signed an order Friday, Oct. 16, waiving the sanctions and tariffs required under the Graham Act, his cabinet has spent the weekend defending it on the Sunday shows. Republicans, including the late senator's own sister, are not buying it.

The administration's case

Energy Secretary Chris Wright told ABC's Martha Raddatz on "This Week" that the waiver is "a carrot to try to end a war. It's not an economic lifeline for Russia."

His argument turns on diesel. Russia only benefits, Wright said, if it has diesel to export. To get there, it must "consume less diesel internally, reduce the war effort," or repair its refineries, which he said it can only do through "a peace agreement with Ukraine, an energy ceasefire, or a step towards peace."

Wright made a similar case on CNN's "State of the Union." "This is not going soft on Russia. This is an incentive to end the war," he said. He added that Russia has been unable to export diesel "over the last month or so" because it is short of the fuel.

He also claimed there have "never been sanctions nearly as strong on Russia" as under this administration. And he waved off the critics. "They are all wrong. They don't understand what President Trump's doing," Wright said. He conceded the move "comes with some short-term political pain," which he called "leadership."

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent described the order as use of the law's 60-day pause "so we can see what's going on." He said: "The only thing that has been lifted is the diesel embargo."

Trump added his own explanation Sunday on Truth Social. "I am in the process of negotiating Peace in the war between Russia and Ukraine, and don't want to do anything that will drive, foolishly, Russia away from the bargaining table," he wrote.

What the order says

Bessent's description is narrower than the order's reported terms. The order waived the requirement to raise duties on Russian goods by up to 500 percent. It also waived a separate requirement for tariffs of up to 100 percent on China, India and other top buyers of Russian energy.

The order cites "the national interests" of the U.S. without elaboration. It has no fixed expiration and stays in force until Trump or the secretary of state decides "further action is appropriate."

The Kremlin said Thursday that Russian diesel had begun reaching global markets under the deal Trump announced Oct. 9. That deal calls for more than 300,000 tons immediately, 500,000 tons in November and 1 million tons in December.

Republican dissent

The law passed the Senate 86-11. Sen. Thom Tillis, a Republican, blasted the waiver on X. "Beyond irresponsible. What part of enforcing a law passed 86-11 by the Senate does the President and his advisors not understand?" he wrote.

Tillis added that if Trump wants lower energy prices, "he can do it by solving the Iran problem, not by doing a solid for Vladimir Putin."

Sen. Darline Graham, who replaced her brother after his death on July 11, said Saturday she disagrees with Trump. "Personally, I would choose to keep the pressure on Russia to end the war and get the gas prices down, because I don't trust Putin and don't trust Russia," she said. Trump signed the bill exactly one month ago, on Sept. 18.

Democrats Chuck Schumer, Jeanne Shaheen and Elizabeth Warren criticized the earlier diesel deal.

Kyiv's response

Zelenskyy called the waiver "wrong" and said it "definitely helps only the Russians." He argued Russian diesel revenue will pay for weapons, missiles, drones and mercenaries. He called the diesel deal "dangerous" and said it has no meaningful influence on U.S. energy prices.

In his telling, the driver of this year's price shock is the prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz, following the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran in February. Trump has blamed Ukraine's strikes on Russian refineries for pushing up prices.

Zelenskyy also told NBC he believes the U.S. government was behind a recent slowdown in U.S.-provided Starlink internet in Ukraine. "The message from [the] American government," he called it. He said Ukraine was also "blocked" from U.S. intelligence for a period before access was restored. The sources do not include a U.S. response to those claims.

What comes next

Domestic diesel is averaging above $6 a gallon. The administration wants it lower before the Nov. 3 midterms. Rubio has said the White House will take up to 60 days to weigh the economic impact of the waiver, a window that, if used in full, extends well past Election Day.

Until that review ends, the tariffs on Russian goods and on buyers of Russian oil stay suspended. Whether Russia's diesel shipments actually move U.S. prices before then is the test Wright has set for his own argument.