US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said President Donald Trump will have up to 60 days to assess the economic impacts of suspending sanctions and tariffs tied to Russia. He spoke to journalists on Saturday, a day after Trump signed an executive order suspending them. Trump has not yet announced a definitive decision on the measures.
The executive order
Trump signed the order on Friday under the so-called Graham Law, which he had signed the previous month after pressure from lawmakers. The measures included tariffs on Russian products and penalties on countries buying Russian oil and gas. They were due to take effect the following week. The order did not specify how long the suspension would last.
Volodymyr Zelensky criticised the suspension. The decision landed amid wider strain over energy supply.
A diesel deal and energy strain
Rubio also defended a separate agreement with Russia to increase global diesel supply. Under it, Russia would supply the US with an initial quantity of more than 300 thousand metric tons of diesel. Rubio said the diesel deal and the sanctions suspension reflect difficulties in managing conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine. Those conflicts have disrupted global energy supply, and fuel prices have risen amid the war with Iran.
Rubio spoke before travelling to Uzbekistan. Trump made his remarks at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida.
Related: Trump suspends Russia sanctions two days before they take effect · UK widens Russia sanctions to two energy firms and 12 tankers
Source: US Secretary of State
