US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday defended President Donald Trump's decision to temporarily waive sanctions on Russian oil for 60 days, citing the impact of global conflicts on oil prices.
Rubio said conflicts around the world were increasingly overlapping and affecting global energy markets.
He said Trump had to consider how the sanctions would affect other countries, including US ally India, which continues to import a substantial amount of Russian energy despite voluntarily diversifying its energy sources.
“It's hard to pivot from one day to the next,” Rubio said, explaining India's continued reliance on Russian energy.
He attributed the surge in oil prices to the war involving Iran, Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and Russia's ongoing war against Ukraine.
Rubio said the administration had to weigh the effects of these developments against one another when making decisions on sanctions.
He also argued that Russia would sell its diesel regardless of the sanctions, adding that the main difference was how much revenue the United States would receive from the sales.
With inputs from Al Jazeera