DOMINANT ANGLE
Pretoria is mainly concerned with the energy and commercial cost: the lifting of 100% customs duties on Russian oil buyers is presented in light of crude oil prices and the US midterm elections.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
The decree published on Friday, October 16, cites the national interest of the United States to lift sanctions and customs duties related to the law signed in mid-September.
- 02
The law provided for up to 100 % customs duties on products from the five largest importers of Russian oil or gas.
- 03
Cited analysts judge that these measures risked driving up oil prices just a few weeks before the midterm elections.
ANALYSIS
Pretoria, October 18, 2026. The South African press reports on Donald Trump's decision through the same agency dispatch, reproduced verbatim by TimesLIVE, Business Day, and SABC News. The American president lifted most of the Russian sanctions and customs duties before they came into effect, through a decree made public by the White House on Friday, October 16. He invokes the national interest of the United States.
The account opens with the content of the law. Signed in mid-September, the text bears the name of Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, described as "late", and his main promoter in Congress. It provided for customs duties of up to 100% on all products imported to the United States from the five largest importers of Russian oil or gas. It also targeted any country that had knowingly purchased these hydrocarbons thirty days after the promulgation, or was among the top five helping Moscow to circumvent sanctions. The articles cite China and India as among the main buyers of Russian oil.
The text puts the measure in the American political calendar. Just a few weeks before the midterm elections, where Republicans are defending a narrow majority in both chambers, these new measures could have driven up oil prices even further. Americans are already suffering from increased costs, which analysts attribute largely to the American-Israeli war against Iran.
The dispatch notes that Donald Trump is getting closer to Moscow while publicly criticizing Volodymyr Zelensky, even suggesting that Kiev needs a new leader. It recalls that the law was meant to increase pressure on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, which began in 2022.
According to the decree, the exemption remains in effect until Donald Trump or his main officials judge that "additional action is appropriate". It claims to have transmitted to Congress a certification that this exemption is in the national interest. The provided articles report neither an official South African reaction nor commentary from local analysts: the reading remains that of a shock to the energy markets and global trade.
