Rubio: Trump Will Need Up to 60 Days to Study Sanctions on Russia

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday, one day after exempting himself from sanctions and tariffs linked to Russian exports, that he has not yet announced a final decision on the matter, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio said officials want more time to evaluate the situation.

Rubio said the president will need a period of up to 60 days to assess the economic impact of the sanctions and tariffs related to Russia from which he was exempted the previous day.

Trump told reporters in Palm Beach, Florida, "Many of you do not know my decision yet, but we will know it, and you will know it," according to Reuters.

The exemption comes just weeks before midterm elections scheduled for November/November, at a time when Trump is under pressure due to rising energy prices as the war with Iran disrupts global oil supplies.

Trump signed an executive order on Friday exempting major sanctions and tariffs under the law known as the Graham Act, which he signed last month at the request of lawmakers who wanted to increase pressure on Moscow because of its war in Ukraine.

The measures, which include tariffs on Russian goods and sanctions on countries that buy Russian oil and gas, were scheduled to take effect within days.

The order issued on Friday did not specify the duration of the exemption, but Rubio said Trump chose to conduct a 60-day review.

Rubio told reporters before boarding a plane for a trip to Uzbekistan, "I think the president wants to use the sixty-day period to analyze what imposing sanctions and tariffs would mean for the global economy and even for the U.S. economy."

Complicating matters further, the Graham Act calls not only for sanctions on Russia but also for tariffs on goods from countries that import Russian energy supplies. Rubio pointed to India, an important partner for the United States that diversified its energy sources but still relies heavily on Russian oil.

The executive order issued on Friday drew criticism from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who warned that it would encourage Russian President Vladimir Putin and prolong the war.

Senator Lindsey Graham's sister, Darlene Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, whose late brother was a prominent supporter of the legislation bearing his name, said she disagrees with Trump's decision and intends to discuss it with him when he participates in her campaign next week.

She told reporters on Saturday: "Personally, I would have chosen to keep the pressure on Russia. Because I don't trust Putin and I don't trust Russia."

Diesel Supplies

Rubio also defended a separate U.S. agreement with Russia to increase diesel supplies to global markets in order to ease fuel prices that rose amid the war with Iran and energy supply disruptions.

Trump said that under the agreement, Russia will initially export more than 300,000 tons of diesel to the United States, followed by shipments in November and beyond.

Rubio said, "This diesel will be sold one way or another. The only difference is how much the United States would get from it."

Rubio said the diesel agreement and the sanctions exemption reflect the difficulty of managing conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine that disrupted global energy supplies. He added: "These conflicts around the world have started to collide with each other."