Rubio says Trump to take up to 60 days to weigh Russia sanctions

On the day following the waiver of sanctions and tariffs related to Russian exports, US President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that he had not yet made a final decision on the matter. Secretary of State Marco Rubio informed the public that the administration needed additional time to evaluate the economic consequences of the lifted sanctions and tariffs.

Trump stated at a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, that he would take up to 60 days to assess the impact of Russia-related sanctions and tariffs that he had waived the previous day. "A lot of you don’t know what my decision is yet, but we’ll figure it out, and you’ll figure it out," Trump told reporters.

The waiver occurred just weeks before the November midterm elections, with Trump facing pressure over high energy prices due to the war with Iran disrupting global oil supplies. Trump signed an executive order on Friday waiving key sanctions and tariffs under the Graham Act, which he signed last month at the insistence of lawmakers seeking to pressure Moscow over its conflict in Ukraine.

The measures, including tariffs on Russian goods and penalties on countries purchasing Russian oil and gas, were scheduled to take effect the following week. Rubio stated that Trump opted for a 60-day review period to analyze the implications of imposing both sanctions and tariffs on the global and US economies. The Graham Act requires sanctions on Russia and tariffs on goods from countries importing Russian energy supplies, complicating matters further as India, an important US partner, is heavily reliant on Russian oil.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy criticized the diesel deal, warning that it would embolden Russian President Vladimir Putin and prolong the war. Senator Darline Graham expressed her disagreement with Trump's decision, stating that she would discuss it with Trump before his campaign for her re-election next week. Rubio defended the agreement to increase Russia's diesel supply to global markets, noting that the diesel would be sold regardless of the US receiving the supplies.

He emphasized that the challenges of managing conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine have disrupted global energy supplies, leading to the diesel deal and the waiver of sanctions.