'Trump may Finalise Russia Sanctions Law in 10 Days': Sergio Gor

New Delhi: US President Donald Trump is likely to decide within the next 10 days on the Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act (SRIA), US ambassador to India Sergio Gor said on Thursday, referring to the legislation that permits tariffs of up to 100% on nations such as India which are major buyers of Russian oil and gas.

The law, enacted on September 18, mandates a decision within 30 days of its passage, Gor said while addressing the Bloomberg New Economy Forum.

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When asked if India could get a respite or an exemption, the US ambassador said that the ball was in Trump's court.

The SRIA is also expected to figure prominently in US secretary of state Marco Rubio's discussions with Indian interlocutors during his upcoming trip to the country, beginning Saturday.

ET had reported on Monday that President Trump's decision to purchase Russian diesel, despite threatening to impose up to 100% tariffs on India for buying Russian oil, may not explicitly violate the SRIA. The US administration has yet to decide on any waiver for India, although President Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi were said to have had a productive and constructive phone call on September 30.

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India has repeatedly conveyed to the US over the past few months that the imposition of any tariffs for purchasing Russian oil would adversely affect bilateral ties. India-US relations have already been strained by delays in concluding a trade pact and expanding US-Pakistan ties.

Gor also said that India and the US would clinch a trade deal soon, noting that the two countries had made substantial progress despite complex negotiations that have been ongoing for around a year and a half.

"The big picture, the big framework, the big items are done," he said, adding that the remaining issues included smaller details and new concerns that could arise as negotiations progressed.

Gor added that the administration revisited parts of the trade agreement after the US Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that Trump's sweeping global tariffs, imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, were unlawful and violated the Constitution by usurping Congress' exclusive power to tax.

The ambassador said the US was keen to expand business cooperation with India across sectors, including defence, information technology, data centres and chip manufacturing. He also said that investments by American companies in India could support job creation in the US. India-US ties are also being tested by President Trump's repeated claims that he helped broker a ceasefire between India and Pakistan in May 2025, days after India launched cross-border strikes under Operation Sindoor in retaliation for the April 22 attack.