US President Donald Trump will assess how new restrictions against Russia and buyers of its energy resources will affect the American and global economies. This may take up to 60 days, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, according to Reuters. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
Rubio explained that the restrictions affect several countries that buy Russian oil and gas. Washington wants to study the economic consequences of their introduction.
According to the Secretary of State, Trump intends to "analyze what the introduction of sanctions and tariffs will mean for the global economy and even for the US economy." Rubio told journalists this before flying to Uzbekistan.
Trump himself said that the final decision is still ahead. At the same time, the decree he signed did not specify the period for exemption from the new restrictions — Rubio reported the period of up to 60 days.
Congress passed the sanctions law in September, after which Trump signed it. The document provided for measures against Russian officials, oligarchs and financial organizations, as well as restrictions for major buyers of Russian oil and gas.
The refusal to apply the new measures was criticized by representatives of both American parties. Republican Senator Ted Cruz called it a mistake. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed concern that the US would continue lifting restrictions on Russia.
The decision followed an agreement on supplies of Russian diesel. Washington hopes to curb the rise in fuel prices amid the war with Iran. According to Rubio, conflicts in the Middle East affect energy prices, and subsequently the economy. The rising cost of living remains one of the main topics ahead of the midterm elections to Congress in November.
Earlier, Kursiv wrote that on October 16, Trump suspended new sanctions against Russia two days before their introduction. He explained the decision by US national interests. Previously introduced restrictions continue to be in effect.
Before that, the US president agreed with Vladimir Putin on supplies of Russian diesel to American and global markets. According to Trump, Russia must immediately supply more than 300 thousand tons of fuel, another 500 thousand tons in November, then a million tons.
In addition, the Trump administration discussed a possible easing of sanctions against the "shadow fleet" of Russia and Iran in order to increase oil supply and curb prices.