US sanctions on Russia will not take effect as planned after President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday waiving them for national security reasons.

"As described further in section 4 of this order, I am hereby waiving the application of such sanctions, restrictions, and duties provided for in the Graham Act," the executive order said.

"I have submitted to the Congress ​a certification that ‌the issuance of such a waiver at this time is in the national interests of the ​United States," ⁠Trump said in the order released by the White House.

The White House did not immediately explain how Trump's decision to pause the sanctions will serve the national interest.

The White House posted the decision on its website late in the evening. It noted that the report explaining the decision had been submitted to Congress.

According to the order, the waiver will remain ​in effect until Trump or his top officials determine that "further action is appropriate."

Trump's controversial deal with Russia 

The Lindsey Graham Act, which was named after the deceased US senator who sponsored the bill, had found bipartisan support in Congress and was passed in September.

It allowed the Trump administration to increase pressure on Russia over its war against Ukraine by imposing duties up to 100& on major buyers of Russian oil.

The sanctions were meant to starve Russian President Vladimir Putin of the resources needed to continue its war in Ukraine. The bill aimed to penalize Russian officials, banks and a shadow fleet of tankers that keeps Russian energy moving.

​India, one of the biggest buyers of Russian oil, was among the countries that raised concerns about the Russia sanctions.

Now, the move to waive the sanctions against Russia comes a week after Trump said the US had agreed to purchase diesel from Russia to try and bring down global energy prices, despite that potentially hurting Ukraine in its war with Russia.

With US midterms just around the corner,  the sanctions on Russia could have risked raising oil prices even further while Americans are already grappling with increased costs largely because of the US-Israeli war on Iran, analysts have said.

Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat who also drafted the bill with sanctions against Russia, said Trump was turning his back on "the majority of Americans, their representatives in both houses of Congress, and our European allies."

"These waivers have nothing to do with our national security, and everything to do with sucking up to Vladimir Putin," Blumenthal said.

Don't let the algorithm hide the news. If you rely on our team for trusted reporting, please take a moment to select us as your Preferred Source on Google by clicking here and hitting the "star" or "preferred" button, so you'll always see our verified news first.

Edited by: Sean Sinico