Russia sanctions waiver: US says 60-day pause to assess global impact, Rubio and Bessent explain

The US administration said the pause on new measures linked to Russia was temporary. Officials described it as a 60-day window. The period was meant to review wider effects on the world economy. The pause also covered tariffs on several countries, including India, amid sharp criticism in Washington.

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Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said no sanctions were removed on Friday. Bessent spoke after President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order. The order allowed waivers under the Lindsey O Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act. The law passed last month with broad bipartisan support.

Russia sanctions waiver under Lindsey O Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act

Bessent said the US had pressed European allies to add secondary sanctions. Bessent said the targets included China and India over Russian oil purchases. Bessent said European countries did not agree to that step. Bessent questioned why Washington should act alone in that case.

"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. Bessent also noted Europe eased limits in May. Bessent said European countries waived an embargo on Russian diesel and jet fuel purchases.

Bessent accused European nations of funding Russia’s war in Ukraine. \"The Europeans have given Russia and Vladimir Putin more money than theyve given the Ukrainians. They continue to gorge on Russian energy,\" Bessent said. Bessent also criticised continued European buying of oil and gas from Moscow.

\"The Europeans are financing the Russian war machine. The US imports USD four billion of Russian products. USD 1.8 billion of that is fertiliser. The Europeans import more than 10 times that,\" Bessent said. The comments came during an interview on NBCs Meet the Press.

Russia sanctions waiver and tariffs review period

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Act included waiver powers by design. Rubio said the administration wanted time to track energy and security pressures. Rubio listed the Iran war and strains on energy supply. Rubio also mentioned Houthi attacks 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. Rubio spoke before leaving on a six-day visit to Uzbekistan and India.

The Executive Order set conditions for how long waivers could continue. It said waivers would stay in place until a fresh decision. That decision could be made by the President or the Secretary of State. It also required consultation with the Treasury Secretary and the Trade Representative.

Russia sanctions waiver draws criticism from lawmakers

Republicans and Democrats criticised the waiver decision. Many lawmakers had supported the Graham Act passage last month. Senator Darline Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, also objected. Darline Graham criticised exempting Russia from a law linked to the late Lindsey.

Indian-American lawmakers, many of whom voted against the Act, also attacked the move. \"Trumps decision to waive new sanctions on Russia should leave no doubt: that is exactly what is happening,\" Congressman Ami Bera said on X. Bera also questioned why Republicans were not protesting loudly.

\"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 dont side with Russia,\" he said. The remarks added to growing pressure on the White House from Congress.

Congressman Suhas Subramanyam also criticised the President on X. \"Trump is doing exactly what we warned: undermining Congress authority, abandoning Ukraine, and letting Putin off the hook,\" Congressman Suhas Subramanyam said on X. Subramanyam linked the waiver to earlier votes on sanctions.

\"Republicans refused to let us vote on stronger Russia sanctions. Now we - and our allies - are paying the price,\" Subramanyam said. The statements followed a weekend of public debate. The dispute centred on whether a waiver weakened congressional intent in the new law.

Trump defended the waiver during comments at Mar-a-Lago near Miami on Saturday. \"A lot of you dont know what my decision is yet, but well figure it out, and youll figure it out,\" he said. Trump added that the approach would help the US, and could also help globally.

\"Its a very good decision, and its going to be a decision thats good for the country, and I think good for the world because were really at a world stage,\" Trump said. The administration kept stressing the pause was limited. Officials said the review period was aimed at judging broader economic impact.

With inputs from PTI