Rubio says Trump wants up to 60 days to weigh Russia sanctions, cites India

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Saturday that President Donald Trump will use up to 60 days to assess the economic effects of Russia-related sanctions and tariffs, after Trump signed an order waiving key provisions of the law that authorizes them. Rubio spoke to reporters before leaving on a trip to Uzbekistan and India, according to a Reuters report carried by The Express Tribune and Ada Derana.

What was waived

Reuters reports that Trump signed an executive order on Friday waiving sanctions and tariffs under the Graham Act, a law he signed last month after lawmakers pressed for measures against Moscow over the war in Ukraine. The waived measures include tariffs on Russian goods and penalties on countries that buy Russian oil and gas. Reuters says they were due to take effect the following week and that the order did not say how long the waiver would last.

The PTI account, published by Kashmir Reader, names the law as the Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, known as the Graham Act. It says the law authorizes tariffs of 100 percent on the top five buyers of Russian oil and gas, including India and China, and that the waivers stay in effect until the president or the secretary of state, after consulting the Treasury Secretary and the US Trade Representative, decides further action is warranted.

What Rubio said

Rubio said Trump wants the period to analyze what imposing both sanctions and tariffs would mean for the global economy, Reuters reports. In the PTI account he said the waivers give the administration time to assess developments affecting energy supplies, including the war with Iran, Houthi attacks in Saudi Arabia and the Russia-Ukraine war.

On India, Rubio called it an important US ally and partner. Reuters says he described it as a country that has diversified its energy supplies but remains heavily dependent on Russian oil. PTI reports he said India had diversified voluntarily but still gets a substantial amount of energy from Russia, and that switching suppliers cannot happen overnight. PTI says he is due to visit India on Monday.

On a separate US-Russia diesel agreement, Reuters quotes Rubio as saying, "These conflicts around the world are starting to crash into each other." He also said the diesel would be sold one way or another, with the question being how much the US receives.

Trump and critics

Trump told reporters at Mar-a-Lago on Saturday that he had not made a final decision, according to Reuters. PTI says he called the order a very good decision for the country and the world.

Reuters says Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky criticized the order, saying it would embolden Russian President Vladimir Putin and prolong the war. A Republican senator from South Carolina whose late brother, Lindsey Graham, championed the law said she would choose to keep pressure on Russia, and said she planned to raise the issue with Trump when he campaigns for her next week (Reuters). PTI adds that Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina called the decision irresponsible and asked why the administration was not enforcing a law the Senate passed 86-11. It also reports that Senator John Cornyn said the late Lindsey Graham would be appalled, and that Senator Elizabeth Warren accused Trump of disregarding Congress.

Both reports place the waiver weeks before the November midterm elections and say Trump is under pressure over high energy prices while the Iran war disrupts oil supplies.