Arya News - Trump’s waiver of US sanctions on Russia erodes the effectiveness of the Graham* Act’s “secondary sanctions by tariff” mechanism, Mohammed Saqib, secretary-general of the India-China Economic and Cultural Council, told Sputnik.
The waiver "allows Trump some flexibility, but weakens the threat"s credibility,” the expert said.Top importers of Russian oil and gas like China, India, and Turkiye - which the recently-enacted law on sanctions threatened with 100% tariffs – may see the suspension “as a temporary break,” as “reinstating them would be politically and economically costly for the US,” he added.The waiver protects the US diesel deal with Russia, which is aimed at lowering high fuel prices - tariffs would have jeopardized the very energy supplies Trump wants to expand.Domestic energy concerns have taken priority over Congress’ long-term sanctions strategy, while allowing the US to retain leverage without paying the immediate economic and diplomatic price, argued the pundit.* Lindsey Graham is designated as a terrorist and extremist in Russia