Waiel Awwad, a foreign affairs analyst, described the lifting of sanctions under the Lindsey O. Graham Act as a notable source of relief for India, adding that the decision arrives at a point when President Trump is preparing for the November midterm elections.

In remarks aired on a prominent television network, Awwad put forward the view that, even with the easing of tensions, India would do well to guard the independence of its own decision-making when it comes to ties with Russia. He expressed the view that, while the move carries weight for India, the government there ought to give careful thought to its independent choices on Russian oil procurement as well as to the broader strategic ties binding the two countries.

The development was described as bringing considerable relief. The rupee's slide against other currencies is expected to level off.

Awwad attributed the decision to what he described as a domestic political strategy — one aimed at building support before the midterm elections — while also noting that lower inflation and falling oil prices would bring economic relief to India. The arrangement covering diesel between the United States and Russia came as an unexpected development for both Ukraine and the European Union, according to his account.

He explained that the policy stance commonly described as "America First" appeared to be driven, at least in part, by domestic price pressures that had been building within the United States, with the president using it to convey a particular message to the broader international community.

With midterm elections approaching, a portion of analysts have assessed his prospects as unfavourable. The decision to lift restrictions on Russian oil purchases has been described as an effort to rebuild public support.

Exemptions covering several sanctions tied to Russian energy dealings — provisions under the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act that had been scheduled to take effect — were granted approximately one month after Trump signed that law into effect, a development that both Zelenskyy and European Union officials had not been forewarned about, according to reports. That particular document bore his signature.

Under the measure — now placed on hold — duty rates as high as 100 per cent would have applied to goods entering the United States from the five countries purchasing the greatest volumes of Russian crude oil or gas, a group that encompasses both India and China. The decision coincided with a fuel arrangement involving Russia at a time when diesel prices across the country were climbing ahead of November's midterm elections.

Under Section 115 of the Graham Act, a president holds the power to set aside sanctions provisions, lift restrictions tied to specific individuals, and waive duties otherwise imposed by the statute — authority Trump drew on in this instance. A White House statement put forward "national interest" as the grounds for granting the waiver.

Prior to that announcement, a fuel arrangement with Russia had been disclosed, under which an initial consignment of over 300,000 tonnes of diesel would flow from Moscow, with a further 500,000 tonnes to follow in November and an additional one million tonnes arriving in the period after that.