“We’re trying to finalise a trade deal with India right now. We’re very close to doing that,” Rubio said.

He added that the proposed agreement was among the factors the US administration was considering while making decisions on national security waivers and other foreign policy matters.

“We’ve had to waive sanctions over the past few months because of the impact on global supplies and prices… We have to manage all of these things,” he said.

Rubio stressed that energy security and geographical constraints also played a role in countries’ foreign policy decisions.

“Every country has a complex set of factors that it has to take into account. Geography is real. For some countries, it’s very difficult to acquire energy from alternative sources. That’s not an excuse, but all of that has to be balanced when making foreign policy,” he added.

Rubio calls India an important US ally

Rubio’s remarks come a day after US President Donald Trump waived several sanctions-related provisions concerning Russian fuel sales under the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act.

The legislation, whose implementation has been paused for 60 days, would have allowed the US to impose tariffs of up to 100 per cent on goods imported from the five largest buyers of Russian-origin crude oil or natural gas, including India and China.

Speaking earlier, Rubio described India as an important ally whose energy requirements needed to be considered before Washington imposed tariffs or sanctions.

“These sanctions were not just sanctions on Russia. They include tariffs on a number of countries, India, for example, and others. And so I think the president wants to take the 60-day period of time to sort of analyse what imposing both sanctions and tariffs will mean to the global economy and even to the U.S. economy,” he said.

Rubio acknowledged that India had diversified its energy sources but continued to obtain a substantial share of its energy supplies from Russia.

“You’ve got countries like India, for example, that have voluntarily diversified their energy portfolio, but are still getting a substantial amount of energy from Russia because it’s hard to pivot from one day to the next. But they’re also an important ally and partner of the United States. So we need that period of time to sort of study all this and figure out what the right combination is,” he added.

US weighs energy security and geopolitical tensions

Rubio said the administration was also assessing changes in the geopolitical landscape since the Graham legislation was enacted, including escalating tensions involving Saudi Arabia and the Houthi militia.

He pointed to mounting pressure on global energy supplies arising from several conflicts, including the Russia-Ukraine war and attacks on energy infrastructure.

“I think when the bill was passed, one of the reasons the waivers were put in there is understanding that they would need some period of time to study this, given all the different things that are that are going on in the world right now, including the pressure on global energy supplies that are happening not just because of Iran and not just because of the Straits of Hormuz, but increasingly because of the Houthis attacking Saudi Arabia, and because of the war with Ukraine and Russia, where energy infrastructure is being hit, and so that’s having an impact on global prices as well,” he said.

The administration’s decision to temporarily waive the provisions comes amid concerns about the potential impact of additional sanctions and tariffs on international energy markets and the US economy.

What does the Graham Act provide?

On Friday, Trump invoked Section 115 of the Lindsey O. Graham Act, which authorises the President to waive the application of sanctions provisions against foreign persons, restrictions on individuals and duties imposed under the legislation.

“I have submitted to the Congress a certification that the issuance of such a waiver is in the national interests of the United States and a report explaining the basis for the certification, consistent with section 115(b) of the Graham Act,” Trump said in the order.

Trump waived the application of duties under Sections 112 and 113 of the Act. These provisions allowed him to raise tariffs on all goods imported into the United States from Russia to as much as 500 per cent ad valorem, or a percentage of the goods’ value.

They also provided for duties of up to 100 per cent ad valorem on imports from the five largest buyers of Russian-origin crude oil or natural gas.

Rubio’s India visit to focus on strategic ties

During his visit to India, Rubio is scheduled to meet senior government officials to strengthen the US-India strategic partnership.

The discussions are expected to cover regional and global developments, as well as opportunities to expand energy cooperation between the two countries.

His remarks on the progress of trade negotiations come as Washington weighs its approach to Russian energy imports while seeking to deepen economic and strategic ties with New Delhi.

(with ANI inputs)