US calls Russia sanctions waiver a 60-day pause amid criticism

The Trump administration announced a 60-day pause on Russia sanctions and related tariffs. The review will assess global economic risks amid bipartisan criticism and energy concerns.

In Short

• European allies refused US requests to sanction Russian energy buyers
• Bessent accused Europe of financing Moscow through continued energy imports
• Rubio cited global conflicts and pressure on worldwide energy supplies

The United States has said its waiver of sanctions on Russia and tariffs on other countries, including India, is a 60-day pause to assess the measure's global impact, news agency Press Trust of India reported on Sunday.

The clarification came amid criticism of President Donald Trump's decision. Cabinet members Marco Rubio and Scott Bessent said the Lindsey O Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act gave the president the flexibility to assess the situation before taking further action.

“No sanctions were lifted on Friday,” Bessent told NBC's Meet the Press, referring to the executive order signed by Trump. The order granted a waiver from sanctions under the Graham Act, which was passed with overwhelming bipartisan support last month.

Bessent said the US had asked its European allies to impose sanctions on China and India for buying Russian oil, but they refused.

“So why should the US bear the burden? President Trump, perhaps we will be in contact with our European partners. Why should the US go it alone,” Bessent said. He added that European countries had waived an embargo on the purchase of Russian diesel and jet fuel in May.

Secretary of State Rubio said on Saturday evening that waivers were included in the Graham Act to study developments around the world, including pressure on global energy supplies because of the Iran war, the Houthi attack in Saudi Arabia and the Ukraine-Russia war.

“I think 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 told reporters before leaving on a six-day visit to Uzbekistan and India, according to PTI.

The executive order signed by Trump on Friday said the waivers would remain in effect until the president or the secretary of state, in consultation with the treasury secretary and the trade representative where appropriate, determined that further action was needed.

Speaking to reporters at his Mar-a-Lago resort near Miami on Saturday, Trump said his decision to waive sanctions under the Graham Act would benefit the US.

“A lot of you don't know what my decision is yet, but 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 because we're really at a world stage,” Trump added.

Bessent also accused European countries of fuelling Russia's war in Ukraine by buying oil and gas from Moscow.

“The Europeans have given Russia and Vladimir Putin more money than they've given the Ukrainians. They continue to gorge on Russian energy,” he said.

“The Europeans are financing the Russian war machine. The US imports USD 4 billion of Russian products. USD 1.8 billion of that is fertiliser. The Europeans import more than 10 times that,” Bessent said.

Trump's decision drew criticism from Republicans and Democrats, who had come together last month to overwhelmingly pass the Lindsey O Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act.

Senator Darline Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, criticised Trump for exempting Russia from the sanctions law championed by and named after her late brother Lindsey.

Indian-American lawmakers, most of whom had voted against the Graham Act, also sharply criticised Trump's decision.

“Trump's decision to waive new sanctions on Russia should leave no doubt: that is exactly what is happening,” Congressman Ami Bera wrote on X.

“My Republican colleagues pushed hard to pass the Lindsey Graham Russia sanctions bill before we left town. They ought to be standing up and screaming at the top of their lungs that we don't side with Russia,” he said.

Congressman Suhas Subramanyam wrote on X: “Trump is doing exactly what we warned: undermining Congress' authority, abandoning Ukraine, and letting Putin off the hook.”

“Republicans refused to let us vote on stronger Russia sanctions. Now we — and our allies — are paying the price,” Subramanyam added.

The Trump administration has maintained that the waiver is a temporary pause to assess the economic and global impact of sanctions and tariffs, even as lawmakers from both parties continue to criticise the decision.

With PTI Inputs

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