If there were a Nobel Prize for hypocrisy, US President Donald Trump would certainly be among the leading contenders. After imposing extremely high tariffs on India and threatening further duties on countries buying Russian oil, Trump has now struck a deal with Vladimir Putin to bring Russian diesel into the United States. This is the same Trump who had pledged to end the Russia-Ukraine war by cutting off Moscow's financial resources and sought to win the Nobel Peace Prize. The contradiction highlights his double standards — America first, with hypocrisy gaya tel lene (to hell with it).
The timing of the move is particularly striking. It comes just weeks after Trump signed the Lindsey Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act into law. The legislation empowers him to impose tariffs of up to 100% on countries such as India and China that purchase Russian oil and gas. The measure has strained bilateral relations and also affected the US-India trade negotiations, making an agreement appear unlikely in the near future.
WHY IS TRUMP BUYING RUSSIAN DIESEL?
With the US itself preparing to purchase Russian fuel, apparently in an effort to bring down energy costs ahead of the crucial midterm elections, an obvious question has emerged: Will Trump impose sanctions on his own country? If not, there is always another explanation available — TACO, or "Trump Always Chickens Out".
"Congress just passed a law giving Trump the power to impose tariffs on major buyers of Russian oil and gas. Can America tariff America?" asked Scott Lincicome, vice president of the American research organisation Cato Institute, in a sarcastic remark.
Geopolitical expert Evan A. Feigenbaum also criticised the development, writing on social media: "The message to India especially, after 14 months of threats related to purchases from Russia, is awful."
Trump's agreement with Putin to secure diesel supplies, while the Russia-Ukraine war continues, is being viewed as a last-minute effort to ease American fuel costs and reduce public dissatisfaction before the November midterm elections. The polls will determine which party controls the US Congress.
Fuel prices in the United States have surged amid turmoil in the Middle East and Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The increase has also contributed to inflation. Diesel is especially significant because it powers much of the supply chain. Farmers in agricultural states depend heavily on the fuel to run machinery, while it is also used for heating homes.
Since the US-Iran war began this year, diesel prices have risen by 70%, placing a substantial financial burden on American farmers. Trump therefore faced pressure to provide relief from soaring prices at fuel stations. On Friday, the US President eventually spoke to Putin.
In a post on his preferred social media platform, Truth Social, Trump announced that Russia would immediately release 300,000 tonnes of diesel for the "American and global marketplace". Another 500,000 tonnes would follow in November, with an additional one million tonnes to be supplied subsequently.
"Diesel prices for Americans and, indeed, the world, will be coming down in record numbers, and fast. Lower prices for Americans, especially our great farmers, ranchers, and truckers, is my greatest priority," Trump wrote.
Under the reported arrangement, the United States is expected to suspend sanctions on Russian diesel exports until April 2027, according to the BBC. The move appears to be a case of changing the rules to suit one's own interests.
The deal is also likely to trigger another confrontation with Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, angered by the agreement, described it as a "gift" to Putin. He argued that the arrangement amounted to an "investment" in a war that would only be prolonged as a result.
THREATEN INDIA, BUT AMERICA COMES FIRST FOR TRUMP
Trump's double standards become even more apparent when the latest agreement is compared with the criticism he and his administration directed at India last year over its purchases of Russian energy.
Relations between India and the US deteriorated last year after Trump imposed an additional 25% tariff on Indian goods, bringing the total duty to 50%. He justified the move by citing India's imports of Russian oil, arguing that New Delhi was helping finance Moscow's war in Ukraine.
The tariffs followed months of sharp and hostile comments from Trump and members of his administration. Among the strongest critics was Peter Navarro, one of Trump's closest aides, who described India as a "laundromat for the Kremlin" and referred to its Russian crude purchases as "blood money".
India, however, did not engage in a similar exchange of rhetoric with Trump, despite importing 90% of its energy requirements.
New Delhi maintained that its energy procurement decisions were driven by national interests and the need to secure affordable supplies for its vast population. These are essentially the same considerations Trump is now invoking to justify buying diesel from Russia.
Earlier this year, the US withdrew the additional 25% punitive tariffs after New Delhi and Washington reached a framework for a trade agreement.
Nevertheless, Trump's apparent double standards have attracted criticism from experts and former US officials.
Feigenbaum, who served in the George W. Bush administration, highlighted the contradiction between Washington's treatment of India and its own decision to purchase Russian fuel.
"So whether or not the President exercises a waiver or carveouts, the US retains the option to coerce, threaten, and penalise India under the Graham sanctions bill for buying from Russia, while the President now buys diesel from Russia for the US. And that hypocrisy, which will help to further tank US-India relations, comes on top of the sheer absurdity of the US itself seemingly having to rely on Russia?" Feigenbaum wrote on social media.
For now, Trump will be counting on the Russian diesel agreement to convince American voters that the economic relief he has promised is imminent and tangible, despite the questions over hypocrisy raised by the deal.
