Trump hypocrisy on Russian oil? India tariffed, but US negotiates own deal

The tariffs announced by US President Donald Trump on India kick in today. But the US in now reportedly doing exactly the thing it condemned India for -- negotiating for Russian oil. Media reports have suggested Washington and Moscow discussed energy deals at meetings meant for talks on Ukraine.

News agency Reuters cited 5 unnamed sources who confirmed that the discussions began when US envoy Steve Witkoff visited Russia earlier this month. The report even claimed that it was discussed at Trump's summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska.

According to Reuters, Russia’s Sakhalin-1 oil and gas project was the centre of discussion between Washington and Moscow. US firm ExxonMobil pulled out of the consortium that controlled the oil-producing outpost in 2022 to put economic pressure on Russia.

Quick reminder: India has held a 20% stake in the Sakhalin-1 oilfields for over a decade now, and Moscow has been encouraging New Delhi to increase its shares since the West's withdrawal.

The White House really wanted to put out a headline after the Alaska summit, announcing a big investment deal,” said one of the sources. “This is how Trump feels like he’s achieved something.”

Parallelly, the US criticised New Delhi for buying oil from Russia as the war in Ukraine raged on. The White House said India's imports of Russian oil undermine US efforts to counter Russia's activities in Ukraine.

India, in response, said it would take all necessary actions to protect its national interests. New Delhi seems to be doing that by strengthening its ties with BRICS nations, including Russia and China.

India's Ministry of Foreign Affairs previously said India began importing oil from Russia as traditional supplies were diverted to Europe over the war -- noting that Washington had "actively encouraged" such imports to strengthen "global energy market stability."

India's national security adviser was in Moscow on Wednesday, coinciding with US envoy Steve Witkoff's visit.

The 25% additional tariff is lower than the 100% Trump floated last month when he told Russia to end the war in Ukraine within 50 days or face massive new economic sanctions.

The Republican said at the time that these would be "secondary tariffs" targeting Russia's remaining trade partners, seeking to impede Moscow's ability to survive already sweeping Western sanctions.

Oil and gas are Russia's biggest exports, and Moscow's biggest customers include China, India and Turkey. Data says Russia is now the biggest seller of oil to India, accounting for more than 35% of its overall supplies.