Trump Pauses Russia Sanctions to Test Economic Impact, Says Rubio

Washington (GNP): United States (US) Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that President Donald Trump’s decision to waive sweeping sanctions and tariffs on Russia is a 60-day pause meant to study how the measures affect the global economy, including the American one.

Speaking on Saturday, Rubio said the restrictions cover a number of countries and not only Russia. He tied the pause to turmoil in energy markets, pointing to the US war on Iran and to attacks on Saudi Arabia by Yemen’s Houthis. According to Rubio, these conflicts are pushing up oil and diesel prices and straining economies.

Trump signed the executive order on Friday. The waiver suspends measures that Congress approved last month in a law that Trump himself signed.

That legislation targeted Russian officials, oligarchs and financial institutions. It also gave the president authority to sanction major buyers of Russian oil and gas.

The order followed a deal between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Under that arrangement, Russia would be allowed to export diesel in return for an easing of sanctions.

The move has drawn sharp criticism from lawmakers of both parties in Washington. Many of them had backed the September legislation as a way to increase pressure on Moscow, and the waiver now sets Trump’s executive action against a measure Congress passed with bipartisan support.

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The timing adds to the political sensitivity. Steep diesel price increases linked to the Iran war are starting to reach the US economy, and cost-of-living worries are weighing on voters ahead of key midterm elections on November 3. Diesel underpins freight and farming, so higher prices tend to spread quickly through the cost of goods.

The administration has not said what will follow the 60-day window, including whether the sanctions and tariffs would return in full, be modified or stay suspended. It has also not said what criteria it will use to judge the economic impact.

For now, the pause leaves Congress, US allies and energy markets watching to see whether it is a short-term fix for fuel prices or the start of a wider shift in Washington’s approach to Moscow. Rubio described the Iran war and the Houthi attacks as conflicts that are starting to “crash into each other.”