Trump Says No Final Decision on Russia Sanctions Waiver; Rubio Announces 60-Day Review

PALM BEACH, Fla. — President Donald Trump said Saturday he has not announced a final decision on waiving sanctions and tariffs against Russia, a day after he signed an executive order shelving the penalties under the law known as the Graham Act. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the administration will take up to 60 days to study the economic effects of the measures.

“A lot of you don’t know what my decision is yet, but we’ll figure it out, and you’ll figure it out,” Trump told reporters at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida. Late Saturday, he added that the move would benefit the United States. “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,” he said, according to TBS News.

The waiver arrives weeks before November’s midterm elections, with Trump under pressure over high energy prices as the war with Iran disrupts global oil supplies. The administration is weighing the sanctions against rising fuel costs as Brent crude has topped $110 a barrel for the first time since May.

Friday’s executive order waived the sanctions and tariffs under the Graham Act, which Trump signed last month at the urging of lawmakers who want to pressure Moscow over its war in Ukraine. The measures, including tariffs on Russian goods and penalties on countries buying Russian oil and gas, were due to take effect next week. The order did not say how long the waiver would last, but Rubio said Trump opted for a 60-day review period.

“I think the president wants to take the 60-day period of time to sort of analyze what imposing both sanctions and tariffs will mean to the global economy and even to the US economy,” Rubio told reporters before boarding a plane for a trip to Uzbekistan.

Rubio pointed to a complication built into the law: it also calls for tariffs on goods from countries that import Russian energy. He named India, an important US partner that has diversified its energy supplies but remains heavily dependent on Russian oil.

Diesel deal draws its own criticism

Rubio also defended a separate US agreement with Russia to increase diesel supplies to global markets, meant to ease fuel prices that have risen as the war with Iran disrupts supplies. Under the deal, Trump said Russia would initially supply more than 300,000 metric tons of diesel to the United States, followed by shipments in November and beyond.

“That diesel is going to be sold one way or the other,” Rubio said. “The only difference is how much of it the United States was going to get.”

“These conflicts around the world are starting to crash into each other,” he said, adding that they were hitting oil and diesel prices and economies as well. TBS News reported that Rubio also cited the US war on Iran and attacks on Saudi Arabia by Yemen’s Houthis as forces pushing energy prices up.

The moves have drawn criticism from lawmakers in both parties. Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina called the waiver “beyond irresponsible” in a post on X, according to TBS News. “If the President wants to actually bring down energy prices, he can do it by solving the Iran problem, not by doing a solid for Vladimir Putin,” he wrote. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas called the waiver “a mistake” in comments aired on Fox News.

Sen. Darline Graham of South Carolina, whose late brother Lindsey Graham championed the legislation behind the sanctions, said she disagreed with the waiver and planned to discuss it with Trump when he campaigns for her next week. “Personally, I would choose to keep the pressure on Russia,” she told reporters on Saturday. “Because I don’t trust Putin and I don’t trust Russia.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned Friday that easing pressure on Moscow would embolden Putin and prolong the war. According to TBS News, Zelensky also said he feared the United States would lift more sanctions on Russia and that Trump’s action “rewards” Putin.

Reporting based on coverage by Reuters and TBS News.