‘Tariffs for thee, opportunities for me’: Experts criticise US for discussing energy deal with Russia after penalising India for the same
Reports suggest that the energy deals were put forward by the US as incentives to encourage Kremlin to agree to peace in Ukraine and for Washington to ease sanctions on Russia.
- Aug 27, 2025,
- Updated Aug 27, 2025 8:44 AM IST
Why is the US ready to destroy 25 years of good relationship with India over the purchase of Russian oil while it itself continues to seek energy deals with Moscow, asked experts and critics. This comes as US and Russian government officials discuss several energy deals on the sidelines of the discussions to achieve peace in Ukraine.
“Wait, what? The US is about to destroy 25 years of building ties with India by imposing 50% tariffs- because India buys oil from Russia. And at the same time US officials are discussing oil deals with Russia, including investing in Sakhalin??” said veteran journalist and founder of Editorji.
“Tariffs for thee, opportunities for me,” remarked Modern War expert Gokul Sahni. Asia expert and adviser, Evan A Feigenbaum also commented on the development.
Reports suggest that the energy deals were put forward as incentives to encourage Kremlin to agree to peace in Ukraine and for Washington to ease sanctions on Russia.
Moscow has been largely cut off from international investment in its energy sector and major deals due to sanctions imposed after the Ukraine invasion that began in February 2022. Officials have discussed the possibility of Exxon Mobil re-entering Russia’s Sakhalin-1 oil and gas project, according to three sources in Reuters. Exxon, the leading US oil producer, has held several talks with Russian state-controlled Rosneft about rejoining the project after receiving approval from the US Office of Foreign Assets Control under both the Trump and Biden administrations, a separate source said.
Government officials also considered the prospect of Russia purchasing US equipment for its LNG projects, including Arctic LNG 2, which is currently under western sanctions, according to four sources. Another proposal involved the US buying nuclear-powered icebreaker vessels from Russia, Reuters reported on August 15.
The discussions took place during US envoy Steve Witkoff’s recent trip to Moscow, where he met Russian President Vladimir Putin and investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev, three sources said. These talks were also held within the White House with former President Trump, two sources added. The issues were briefly touched upon at the Alaska summit on August 15, one source noted.
While this might appear to be regular energy deal discussions, it has exposed US’ duplicity. The US imposed additional 25 per cent tariffs on India, taking the overall tariffs to 50 per cent, for buying Russian oil. India stood its ground as the US blamed New Delhi for financing the Ukraine war as well as profiteering from it. The 50 per cent tariffs come into effect from today.
Why is the US ready to destroy 25 years of good relationship with India over the purchase of Russian oil while it itself continues to seek energy deals with Moscow, asked experts and critics. This comes as US and Russian government officials discuss several energy deals on the sidelines of the discussions to achieve peace in Ukraine.
“Wait, what? The US is about to destroy 25 years of building ties with India by imposing 50% tariffs- because India buys oil from Russia. And at the same time US officials are discussing oil deals with Russia, including investing in Sakhalin??” said veteran journalist and founder of Editorji.
“Tariffs for thee, opportunities for me,” remarked Modern War expert Gokul Sahni. Asia expert and adviser, Evan A Feigenbaum also commented on the development.
Reports suggest that the energy deals were put forward as incentives to encourage Kremlin to agree to peace in Ukraine and for Washington to ease sanctions on Russia.
Moscow has been largely cut off from international investment in its energy sector and major deals due to sanctions imposed after the Ukraine invasion that began in February 2022. Officials have discussed the possibility of Exxon Mobil re-entering Russia’s Sakhalin-1 oil and gas project, according to three sources in Reuters. Exxon, the leading US oil producer, has held several talks with Russian state-controlled Rosneft about rejoining the project after receiving approval from the US Office of Foreign Assets Control under both the Trump and Biden administrations, a separate source said.
Government officials also considered the prospect of Russia purchasing US equipment for its LNG projects, including Arctic LNG 2, which is currently under western sanctions, according to four sources. Another proposal involved the US buying nuclear-powered icebreaker vessels from Russia, Reuters reported on August 15.
The discussions took place during US envoy Steve Witkoff’s recent trip to Moscow, where he met Russian President Vladimir Putin and investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev, three sources said. These talks were also held within the White House with former President Trump, two sources added. The issues were briefly touched upon at the Alaska summit on August 15, one source noted.
While this might appear to be regular energy deal discussions, it has exposed US’ duplicity. The US imposed additional 25 per cent tariffs on India, taking the overall tariffs to 50 per cent, for buying Russian oil. India stood its ground as the US blamed New Delhi for financing the Ukraine war as well as profiteering from it. The 50 per cent tariffs come into effect from today.