Rubio Defends Waivers, Says It's Hard for India to Move Away From Russian Energy Overnight

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has defended the Trump administration's decision to grant sanctions waivers tied to Russian oil, arguing that countries such as India cannot realistically stop buying Russian energy overnight even as Washington keeps up pressure over the war in Ukraine.

His comments came as he announced a 60-day pause on key provisions of a sanctions law targeting buyers of Russian oil, legislation associated with Senator Lindsey Graham, giving governments including India's time to assess the economic fallout before the measures take full effect. The pause carries direct implications for major refiners such as India's Reliance Industries, among the biggest buyers of discounted Russian crude.

Rubio said the waiver period was meant to give countries like India room to study the situation rather than being forced into an abrupt shift, noting that India has already taken voluntary steps to diversify its energy sources but continues to draw substantial volumes from Russia because a full pivot cannot happen from one day to the next. He has separately described India's continued purchases of sanctioned Russian oil as a recurring point of friction in the broader US-India relationship, even while acknowledging the scale of India's energy needs.

The remarks came just ahead of Rubio's scheduled arrival in Mumbai on Tuesday, October 20, for a two day visit to India, set against the backdrop of Washington's continuing effort to pressure Moscow economically over Ukraine while weighing the practical limits of how fast a major energy importer like India can realistically move away from Russian supply.