US to review Russia sanctions waiver within 60 days as Rubio cites India’s ‘substantial’ Russian energy imports

The United States will use a 60-day period to review waivers under a new Russia sanctions law before deciding whether to impose additional tariffs on major buyers of Russian energy, including India, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday temporarily waiving key provisions of the Lindsey Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, which authorised tariffs of up to 100% on goods from the largest importers of Russian oil and gas. The move provides temporary relief to India, China and others ahead of deadlines that could have triggered the measures.
Speaking to reporters in Washington on Saturday before departing for Uzbekistan and India, Mr Rubio said the sanctions “were not just sanctions on Russia. They include tariffs on a number of countries - India, for example, and others.”
“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,” he said. He added that waivers were included in the legislation precisely so the administration could study the effects amid multiple pressures on global energy supplies, including the West Asia conflict, Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, and strikes on energy infrastructure in the Russia-Ukraine war.
Mr Rubio specifically addressed India’s position. “You’ve got countries like India, for example, that have voluntarily diversified their energy portfolio but are still getting a substantial amount of energy from Russia because it’s hard to pivot from one day to the next, but they’re also an important ally and partner of the United States,” he said. The waivers are temporary and will be reviewed before the end of the 60-day window, which concludes on 15 December, around the time of the G20 summit in Florida. PM Modi is expected to attend the summit.
The comments come as US Secretary of State Rubio begins his second visit to India this year. He is due in Mumbai and Jamnagar next week and will hold talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in Mumbai on 20 October. Discussions are expected to cover energy, trade, investment, defence and other bilateral issues. His visit comes as ties remain complicated on several fronts, from trade to increased racism against Indian, Indian Americans.
Meanwhile, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent reinforced the administration’s focus on ending the Ukraine conflict while criticising Europe’s continued purchases of Russian energy. “President Trump has made it clear he wants the killing to stop,” he said, noting that the law gives the president flexibility and 60 days to assess the situation.
Mr Bessent argued that Europeans have provided more money to Russia than to Ukraine through energy imports and said that Washington DC got no support over plans to put secondary tariffs on India, China for importing Russian energy. “We have asked in the spring. I ask our European allies to join us in putting secondary tariffs on China, on India. They refused. So why should the US bear the burden?” he said.
India has previously raised concerns about the Russia sanctions legislation and has stated that its energy sourcing decisions will be guided by national interests. Indian officials have pointed to the efforts to diversify supplies while emphasising the practical difficulties of rapidly reducing reliance on Russian crude amid global market constraints.