India, Oct. 19 -- US President Donald Trump on Friday signed an executive order waiving sanctions on Russia and holding off tariffs on countries such as India that buy Russian energy, two days before they were due to take effect. Trump used a waiver authority in the recently passed Lindsey O Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, which was intended to cripple Russia's energy sector and punish buyers of Russian oil and natural gas. It was only four weeks earlier that Trump had signed the Graham Act into law.

HT looks at the US President's reversal in position and what it means for India.

On September 18, Trump signed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 into law. The act required the US President to impose heavy...