Rubio says Trump will have up to 60 days to reevaluate the suspension of sanctions on Russia

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. — Photo: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters The President of the United States, Donald Trump, will have up to 60 days to assess the economic impacts of the suspension of sanctions and tariffs related to Russia, stated the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, this Saturday (17). The measures had been suspended the day before, and Trump has not yet announced a final decision on the matter. “I think the President wants to use this 60-day period to analyze what the application of sanctions and tariffs would mean for the global economy and even for the US economy,” Rubio told reporters before boarding a trip to Uzbekistan. Trump signed an executive order on Friday suspending the sanctions and tariffs provided for by the so-called Graham Act. He had signed the legislation last month, following pressure from parliamentarians who advocate for measures to pressure Moscow because of the war in Ukraine. The measures include tariffs on Russian products and penalties for countries that buy oil and gas from Russia. They were supposed to take effect next week, but the executive order suspended their application without specifying how long the decision would remain valid. According to Rubio, Trump opted to use the 60-day period to evaluate the possible economic effects of the measures. “Many of you still don't know what my decision is, but we will sort this out, and you will find out,” Trump told reporters at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida. The suspension was criticized by the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, who warned that the decision could strengthen the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, and prolong the war. READ MORE Diesel supply Rubio also defended this Saturday a separate agreement between the US and Russia to increase the supply of diesel in the global markets. The goal is to ease fuel prices, which have risen amid the war with Iran and energy supply interruptions. “This diesel will be sold one way or another,” said Rubio. “The only difference is how much the US can obtain from it.” According to Trump, under the agreement, Russia would initially provide more than 300 thousand metric tons of diesel to the US, followed by remittances in November and subsequent months. The diesel agreement is “an incentive to try to end the war, not an economic lifeline” for Russia, said the US Secretary of Energy, Chris Wright, in an interview with ABC's This Week program on Sunday. “But the only way they can get additional diesel is by reducing the conflict with Ukraine,” Wright said in an interview, also this Sunday. “If Russia can put additional diesel on the market and export it, it will benefit American consumers,” he said. “It is exerting pressure that would benefit American consumers and represent a step forward for peace in the war between Russia and Ukraine.” Rubio stated that the agreement on diesel and the suspension of sanctions reflect the difficulty of managing conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine, which have caused interruptions in the global energy supply. “These conflicts around the world are beginning to clash with each other,” he said.