Trump's sanctions waiver gives India temporary relief, no certainty: GTRI

US President Donald Trump's waiver from sanctions and tariffs under the Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act (SRIA) offers India temporary relief but no lasting certainty, according to think tank GTRI, which urged New Delhi to safeguard its energy security and buy oil on commercial terms. The waiver spares India from threatened additional duties of up to 100 percent linked to Russian oil purchases, but GTRI warned the relief is reversible and Washington could restore tariffs anytime. Russia's share of Indian oil imports fell from 51 percent in July to 44 percent in August as India bought more from the US and UAE. GTRI founder Ajay Srivastava said the waiver exposes uncertainty in US trade policy, noting Washington's October 9 agreement to buy Russian diesel made penalizing other buyers hard to defend. He added that China has tariff protection until January 10, while India risks repeated pressure unless it demonstrates coercion carries a cost.