US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said President Donald Trump wants 60 days to assess the potential impact of imposing sanctions on Russia and imposing punitive tariffs on countries that buy Russian oil. He said this while clarifying Washington’s decision behind this temporary relief given to India. Speaking to reporters before leaving on a week-long trip to Uzbekistan and India, Rubio said the administration needed time to examine how the proposed measures could affect global markets and the US economy.
Rubio said, “I think the president wants to take 60 days to analyze how the imposition of sanctions and tariffs will affect the global economy and the American economy.” His statement comes after Trump’s decision to relax some important provisions of the ‘Russia and Iran Sanctions Act’ (also known as the Graham Act). Under this law, there was a provision to impose punitive tariffs on countries that continued to buy Russian oil.
The move comes as a relief to India, which has been facing the threat of additional US trade sanctions due to energy imports from Moscow. Under the executive order signed by Trump, the waiver will remain in effect until the president or secretary of state—in consultation with the Treasury secretary and the U.S. Trade Representative, if necessary—determines that further action is needed.
Why does Trump want to review the sanctions imposed on Russia?
Rubio said the amnesty provisions were put in place to give Washington a chance to assess changing geopolitical circumstances before imposing economic penalties. He pointed to a number of events affecting international energy markets, including supply pressures due to the Iran war, Houthi attacks in Saudi Arabia and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.
So I think you have to take all of these things into consideration and do a comparative evaluation,” Rubio said. The foreign minister hinted that Washington should consider the wider ramifications of imposing multiple sanctions and tariffs simultaneously, especially at a time when global energy supplies are already under pressure due to multiple conflicts.
Rubio’s statement on India buying oil from Russia
Talking about India’s attitude, Rubio acknowledged that New Delhi has tried to diversify its energy sources, but that it is still largely dependent on Russian supplies. He said that for example, there are countries like India that have diversified their energy portfolio of their own free will, but they are still taking a significant amount of energy from Russia. This is because it is difficult to make complete changes overnight.
His comments highlight the difficulties countries face in rapidly changing their energy imports, especially when there is uncertainty about global oil supplies. The purchase of crude oil from Russia is a sensitive issue in India’s trade relations with Washington. The Trump administration wants to increase economic pressure on Moscow over the Ukraine war. However, this new exemption gives the US administration some more time to consider its next steps without taking immediate punitive action.
Rubio will arrive in India on Monday
The remarks come at a time when Rubio is scheduled to arrive in India on Monday. This is part of his week-long diplomatic tour, which also includes Uzbekistan. Describing India as an important ally and partner of the US, Rubio said Trump needed time to review economic and geopolitical factors before deciding on the right balance of sanctions and tariffs. This decision will determine what will be Washington’s next attitude towards countries that import energy from Russia. This involves balancing pressure on Moscow on the one hand and the potential impact on international trade and energy markets on the other.
