President Donald Trump’s new Russia sanctions law gives Bitcoin traders another macro deadline to watch: Oct. 18.

On Sept. 18, Trump signed H.R. 5334, starting a 30-day clock for his administration to determine tariffs that could disrupt Russian energy trade and potentially feed into inflation, Treasury yields, and the dollar. Those channels matter for Bitcoin because tighter financial conditions have historically weighed on crypto markets.

The law requires the president to raise duties on all Russian goods imported into the US, including oil, natural gas, and petroleum products, by up to 500%. The figure is a ceiling rather than a mandated rate, leaving the administration considerable discretion over how aggressively it implements the measure.

A separate provision creates a potentially broader trade shock. Countries that continue making new purchases of Russian crude or natural gas after the 30-day window can face tariffs of up to 100% on all goods they export to the US if they rank among the five largest buyers. The same ceiling applies to the five largest countries deemed to be facilitating Russian oil sanctions evasion .

The legislation does not name those countries or prescribe an initial minimum tariff, making implementation more important for markets than the headline ceilings themselves.

That uncertainty turns Oct. 18 into an early test of whether the law becomes a significant macro shock or remains a limited sanctions measure.

At least 10 days before imposing or changing duties under the third-country provision, the president or US Trade Representative must provide six congressional committees with a written justification covering both the tariff rate and the methodology used to select the affected country.

The administration also retains room to soften the impact. The law includes an exception for some natural-gas purchases and allows Trump to waive duties after certifying to Congress that doing so serves US national interests.