Washington DC: The United States has defended its decision to temporarily waive sanctions on Russia and tariffs on countries including India, saying the 60-day pause will allow the administration to assess the global economic impact of the measures amid political backlash over President Donald Trump’s move.
US Cabinet members Marco Rubio and Scott Bessent said the Lindsey Graham-led legislation targeting Russia and Iran allows the president to evaluate the situation before deciding on further action.
“No sanctions were lifted on Friday,” Bessent told NBC’s Meet the Press, referring to Trump’s executive order granting a waiver under the legislation, which was passed with overwhelming bipartisan support last month.
Bessent said Washington had urged European allies to impose sanctions on China and India for purchasing Russian oil, but they declined. Questioning why the US should act alone, he also pointed to European countries’ decision in May to waive restrictions on Russian diesel and jet fuel purchases.
Secretary of State Rubio said the legislation provides for the waivers to allow the administration to assess global developments, including pressure on energy supplies stemming from the Iran war, Houthi attacks in Saudi Arabia and the Russia-Ukraine war.
“I think the president wants to take the 60-day period of time to sort of analyze what imposing both sanctions and tariffs will mean to the global economy, and even to the US economy,” Rubio told reporters before departing for a six-day visit to Uzbekistan and India.
Trump’s executive order stated that the waivers would remain in effect until the president or secretary of state determined that further action was necessary, in consultation with the Treasury secretary and the US trade representative, where appropriate.
Speaking at his Mar-a-Lago resort near Miami, Trump described the decision as beneficial to both the US and the rest of the world.
Bessent also accused European countries of helping finance Russia’s war in Ukraine by continuing to purchase Russian energy. He claimed European imports of Russian products were more than 10 times those of the US.
Trump’s decision has drawn criticism from Republicans and Democrats who supported the legislation. Indian-American lawmakers have also raised concerns over the move, while the administration has maintained that the temporary pause will give it time to assess the economic and geopolitical consequences of imposing sanctions and tariffs.
