'Important ally of US': Rubio cites India in defence of Russia waiver

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has defended President Donald Trumps decision to grant a 60day waiver from sanctions linked to Russia citing India as important partner to US and its dependence on Russian energy warning that imposing tariffs and sanctions simultaneously could have serious consequences for the global economySpeaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews on Saturday Rubio said the administration needed time to assess the wider economic impact of the measures particularly as conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine were disrupting global energy suppliesHis remarks came in response to criticism from Republican Senator Ted Cruz who described the waiver as a mistake that would benefit Russian President Vladimir PutinWell there are other countries ndash the problem is these sanctions were not just sanctions on Russia They include tariffs on a number of countries ndash India for example and others Rubio saidHe said Trump wanted to use the 60day period to examine the potential consequences of enforcing both sanctions and tariffsRubio specifically acknowledged Indias efforts to diversify its energy purchases while explaining why Washington considered an immediate disruption of Russian supplies difficultAnd then yoursquove 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 itrsquos hard to pivot from one day to the next but theyrsquore also an important ally and partner of the United States he saidRubio said the administration was weighing several developments affecting international energy markets including the conflict involving Iran disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz attacks by the Houthis on Saudi Arabia and damage to energy infrastructure during the RussiaUkraine warHe argued that these developments were placing additional pressure on global prices and complicating decisions about sanctions enforcementRubio said the waiver provisions reflected an understanding that the government might need time to examine the consequences of the legislationSo the President ndash we need that period of time to sort of study all this and figure out what the right combination is he saidAsked whether the waiver and a separate arrangement involving Russian diesel effectively provided concessions to Putin Rubio rejected the suggestion that restricting American access would prevent Russian diesel from reaching international marketsWell that diesel was going to be sold one way or the other he saidRubio said the United States had previously issued a 60day waiver involving Russian oil when shipping through the Strait of Hormuz faced difficultiesHe also warned that overlapping international conflicts were creating economic pressures extending beyond the countries directly involvedSo yeah these conflicts around the world are starting to crash into each other and theyrsquore having an impact not just on global oil and diesel prices but on economics Rubio saidHe acknowledged that Americans were paying higher energy prices while suggesting that some other countries faced considerably more severe economic pressuresThe latest remarks underline the competing considerations confronting Washington as it seeks to maintain pressure on Moscow while managing its economic relationships with major energyimporting countriesIndia has maintained that its energy procurement decisions are guided by national requirements affordability and supply security Russian crude became an important component of Indias import basket following the disruption of international energy markets after Russias invasion of Ukraine in February 2022This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever