Trump Says Final Decision on Russia Sanctions Waiver Is Not Yet Announced as Rubio Cites Review of Up to 60 Days
PALM BEACH, Florida — President Donald Trump told reporters at his Mar-a-Lago club on October 17 that he has yet to announce a final decision on the Russia sanctions and tariff waiver, a day after signing an executive order waiving key sanctions and tariffs under the Graham Act, the law aimed at pressuring Moscow over its war in Ukraine.
"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 said. The measures covered by the waiver, including tariffs on Russian goods and penalties on countries buying Russian oil and gas, had been due to take effect next week; Friday's order did not specify how long the waiver would last.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on October 17, before boarding a plane for Uzbekistan, that the president will use up to 60 days to assess what imposing both sanctions and tariffs would mean for the global economy and the U.S. economy. Rubio noted that the law reaches beyond Russia to countries that import Russian energy, pointing to India, an important U.S. partner that has diversified its supplies but remains heavily dependent on Russian oil.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has criticized Friday's executive order, warning it would embolden Russian President Vladimir Putin and prolong the war. Senator Darline Graham, a South Carolina Republican whose late brother Lindsey Graham championed the legislation that bears his name, told reporters on October 17 she disagreed with Trump's decision and planned to discuss it with him when he campaigns for her next week. "Personally, I would choose to keep the pressure on Russia," she said. "Because I don't trust Putin and I don't trust Russia."
Rubio also defended a separate U.S. agreement under which Russia would increase diesel supplies to global markets, aimed at easing fuel prices that have climbed amid the war with Iran. Trump has 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." He added that the diesel deal and the sanctions waiver reflected the challenge of managing conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine: "These conflicts around the world are starting to crash into each other." (GSM, based on Reuters reporting)
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 特朗普总统2026年10月5日在 Joint Base Andrews 登上空军一号（白宫官方照片，公共领域，经 Wikimedia Commons 取得）
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