Even as US President Donald Trump has slapped 50 per cent tariffs on India over its purchase of Russian oil, it has now come to light that his own administration has been quietly pursuing energy deals with Moscow. Behind the rhetoric of “peace talks” with Russia, Trump has been exploring avenues to restart American participation in Russian oil and gas projects.
According to a Reuters report, the Trump administration has held discussions with Russia about joint extraction of Russian oil and gas. These talks were conducted on the sidelines of negotiations that were publicly projected as attempts to end the Ukraine war.
Trump, who has accused India of “fuelling the Russian war machine” by buying discounted Russian oil, topped the existing 25 per cent duty on Indian goods with another 25 per cent tariff as punishment. Yet the same president has been actively considering energy cooperation with Moscow.
Exxon Mobil and the Sakhalin-1 Project
Reuters reported that Trump’s team discussed the possibility of Exxon Mobil re-entering Russia’s Sakhalin-1 oil and gas project. Located in Russia’s far east, Sakhalin-1 is one of the country’s largest energy extraction sites and once represented one of the biggest foreign investments in Russia. The project had American, Japanese and Indian participation before sanctions forced Exxon and others out.
By quietly signalling interest in reviving Exxon’s role, the Trump administration appears to be undermining its own narrative of punishing Russia while accusing India of double standards.
Push for US equipment and Arctic LNG
The same report highlighted that Trump’s administration has pitched the sale of US equipment for gas extraction at sanctioned projects like Arctic LNG 2. Despite sanctions, the push reflects a willingness to profit from ventures Washington officially considers off-limits.
This is not the first time Trump has looked at Russian energy projects. Reuters had earlier reported that his administration offered to buy nuclear-powered icebreaker vessels from Russia, a move that would have deepened US reliance on Moscow for Arctic navigation technologies.
High-level Moscow meetings
These discussions took place during the visit of US envoy Steve Witkoff to Moscow earlier this month. Witkoff met Russian President Vladimir Putin and his envoy Kirill Dmitriev. Details of these talks were later carried back to Washington and discussed inside the White House with Trump himself.
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