US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has explained why Washington reached an agreement with Russia on diesel fuel supplies. In his view, the fuel would have reached the global market regardless of the deal, infohub.kz reports.
The head of the State Department said Russian diesel would have entered the global market in any case, and the United States is interested in securing a share of those volumes.
"That diesel fuel was going to be sold anyway. The diesel fuel that Putin is going to sell was going to hit the global market regardless. The only difference is how much of it the United States would get," the top diplomat said.
According to him, such measures are not unprecedented. Rubio recalled that several months ago the United States had already introduced a 60-day sanctions exemption for Russian oil due to the fallout from shipping problems in the Strait of Hormuz.
"These conflicts around the world start to overlap and affect not only global oil and diesel prices but also the economy," the diplomat said.
Rubio also commented on the decision to temporarily ease sanctions against Russia. He explained that the restrictions affect not only Moscow but also other countries, including India. According to him, the US president intends to use the 60-day period to assess the impact of sanctions and tariffs on the global and American economies.
Last week, Trump announced an agreement with Putin on supplies of Russian diesel fuel. He said that, thanks to this and to control of the Strait of Hormuz, fuel prices would fall in the United States and around the world. It was also reported that Donald Trump imposed sweeping new sanctions on Russia and tariffs on countries that buy its oil and gas — and then immediately lifted them.