Washington (Rajeev Sharma): US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said the Trump administration will use a 60-day pause on certain sanctions and tariff measures targeting countries buying Russian oil to assess their potential impact on the global and American economies. The temporary relief includes India, which continues to source a significant share of its energy supplies from Russia.
Rubio made the remarks on Saturday at Joint Base Andrews while preparing to depart for a six-day visit to Uzbekistan and India. He said the administration needed time to evaluate how sanctions and tariffs could affect energy markets, international trade and the wider economic outlook.
President Donald Trump issued an executive order on Friday waiving key provisions of the Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, also referred to in the discussion as the Graham Act. The order provides for the exemptions to remain in place until the president or the secretary of state, in consultation with relevant officials, determines that further action is appropriate.
Explaining the reasoning behind the pause, Rubio pointed to several international developments affecting energy supplies and geopolitical stability, including the war involving Iran, attacks by Houthi forces in Saudi Arabia and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. He said these factors needed to be considered together before the administration settled on its next steps.
Rubio also highlighted Ind
