US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Saturday that President Donald Trump’s waiver of sweeping sanctions and tariffs on Russia amounts to a 60-day pause, giving Washington time to analyse what the measures would mean for the global economy.
“The president wants to take the 60-day period of time to sort of analyse what imposing both sanctions and tariffs will mean to the global economy and even to the US economy,” Rubio said. He noted that the economic restrictions involved a number of countries, not just Russia.
Trump pauses Russia sanctions two days before a Congress-passed law was due to take effect. He signed an executive order on Friday waiving the measures, which lawmakers adopted last month.
Why Trump pauses Russia sanctions, according to Rubio
Rubio tied the decision to mounting pressure on global energy prices. He said various conflicts were affecting those prices, including the US war on Iran and attacks on Saudi Arabia by Yemen’s Houthis.
“These conflicts around the world are starting to crash into each other, and they’re having an impact not just on global oil and diesel prices” but on economies as well, Rubio said.
The secretary pointed to a deal Trump struck with Russian President Vladimir Putin to allow exports of Russian diesel in exchange for the easing of sanctions. The impact of steep diesel price rises linked to the Iran war is beginning to filter into the US economy, where cost-of-living worries are top of voters’ minds ahead of key midterm elections next month.
“The diesel that Putin was going to sell, they were (going to) make it available to the global market one way or the other. The only difference is how much of it the United States was going to get,” Rubio said, underlining how vital the fuel is for US road haulage, agriculture and construction.
What the waived law contained
The law, passed in September and signed by Trump, included sanctions targeting Russian officials, oligarchs and financial institutions. It also gave the president authority to impose sanctions on major buyers of Russian oil and gas.
The idea was to cut off funding sources for Putin’s supporters and for his war on Ukraine. But late on Friday, Trump exempted Russia from the restrictions.
Trump himself said late on Saturday that the decision would benefit the United States, though it was unclear whether he had fully made up his mind. “We’ll figure it out, and you’ll figure it out,” he said. “It’s a very good decision, and it’s going to be a decision that’s good for the country, and I think good for the world.”
Backlash from US lawmakers and Zelensky
US lawmakers from both parties sharply criticised the move. Republican Senator Thom Tillis, a frequent Trump critic who leaves office in January, called it “beyond irresponsible” in a post on X.
“If the President wants to actually bring down energy prices, he can do it by solving the Iran problem, not by doing a solid for Vladimir Putin,” Tillis wrote. Senator Ted Cruz, a senior Republican from Texas, called the move “a mistake” in comments aired on Fox News.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said he feared the United States would lift more sanctions on Russia and that Trump’s action “rewards” Putin.
The criticism lands at a sensitive moment. Trump has already ruled out an attack on Iran before the midterms, while Putin has offered to help end the Iran war, and Zelensky has accused Washington of inaction over Russian strikes. The diesel shock is also tied to Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, which have rattled regional energy markets.
Source: Dawn
Why did Trump pause the Russia sanctions?
According to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the 60-day pause lets Washington analyse how the sanctions and tariffs would affect the global and US economies, particularly energy prices.
What was in the September sanctions law?
The law targeted Russian officials, oligarchs and financial institutions, and authorised sanctions on major buyers of Russian oil and gas, aiming to cut funding for Putin and the Ukraine war.
How have US lawmakers reacted?
Both parties criticised the waiver. Republican Senator Thom Tillis called it “beyond irresponsible”, while Senator Ted Cruz described it as “a mistake”.
What happens after the 60 days?
That remains unclear. Trump has said only that “we’ll figure it out”, leaving open whether the sanctions take effect, are extended in paused form, or are dropped.
