Rubio softens criticism of the Trump administration for suspending sanctions against Russia

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, downplayed the criticism leveled against President Donald Trump for deciding to suspend sanctions against Russia, stating that this decision is based on the potential consequences the sanctions could have for the country's economy and the global economy.

"The president wants to use this 60-day period to analyze, in a sense, what imposing both sanctions and tariffs will mean for the global economy, and even for the U.S. economy," Rubio said before departing for Uzbekistan and India.

"These conflicts around the world are beginning to collide with one another and are having an impact not only on global oil and diesel prices," added the secretary of state.

On Friday, Trump signed an executive order to implement the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, while suspending nearly all penalties for a period of 60 days that the law provided for against Vladimir Putin's regime. This decision was based on the potential repercussions these measures could have on the global economy.

Hours later, the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, described Trump's decision as "wrong," since "it only helps the Russians."

"Sanctions relief will continue. I think the diesel deal and the move regarding the Lindsey Graham Act are not the end of it. Unfortunately," wrote Zelensky on X. "The decision to undo all of this, to block all of it, seems wrong to me. And it definitely helps only the Russians. It only fuels their satisfaction and their desire to keep killing people. This certainly does not stop the war."