Marco Rubio defends Russia waiver says India ‘Important ally of US’
By Anjali Sharma
WASHINGTON – US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday defended President Donald Trump’s decision to grant a 60-day waiver from sanctions linked to Russia, cited that India as an important partner to US and its dependence on Russian energy.
He warned that imposing tariffs and sanctions simultaneously could have serious consequences for the global economy, media reported
Marco Rubio spoke with reporters at Joint Base Andrews, stated that the Trump administration needed time to assess the wider economic impact of the measures, particularly as ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine were disrupting global energy supplies.
Republican Senator from Texas Ted Cruz criticized the waiver, who described it as a mistake that would benefit Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Sec of State said “Well, there are other countries the problem is these sanctions were not just sanctions on Russia. They include tariffs on a number of countries – India, for example, and others.”
Rubio stated that Trump wanted to use the 60-day period to examine the potential consequences of enforcing both sanctions and tariffs.
He acknowledged India’s efforts to diversify its energy purchases while explaining why the US considered an immediate disruption of Russian supplies difficult.
“And then you’ve got countries like India, for example, that have voluntarily diversified their energy portfolio but are still getting a substantial amount of energy from Russia because it’s hard to pivot from one day to the next, but they’re also an important ally and partner of the United States,” he said.
Rubio said that the Trump administration was weighing several developments affecting international energy markets, such as the conflict involving Iran, disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz, attacks by the Houthis on Saudi Arabia and damage to energy infrastructure during the Russia-Ukraine war, argued that such developments placed additional pressure on global prices and complicating decisions about sanctions enforcement.
He stated that the waiver provisions reflected an understanding that the government might need time to examine the consequences of the legislation.
“So, the President we need that period of time to sort of study all this and figure out what the right combination is,” he said.
