In a major U-turn and blatant display of hypocrisy, US President Donald Trump signed a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to buy Russian oil. Trump posted a message on Truth Social, announcing that he had a “highly successful discussion” with Putin, which resulted in Russia agreeing to supply 300,000 tons of diesel to the American and Global Marketplace immediately.
As per the deal, Russia will supply 500,000 tons of diesel to the US in November and another 1,000,000 tons immediately thereafter. This will be followed by a final shipment of 3,000,000 tons of diesel to the US. Trump claimed that the deal would lead to a major drop in fuel prices not just in the US but across the world.
“Between our TOTAL CONTROL of the Strait of Hormuz, and this great announcement on Russian Energy, 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 claimed. As part of the deal, the US Treasury will be suspending sanctions on Russian diesel exports until April 2027.
Later, speaking to the media, Trump zealously announced, “I think you heard about the oil deal with Russia. That is a big deal. That is massive amounts of oil coming into our country. I want to thank President Putin. We have massive amounts of oil coming into our country, and it is diesel, which is what we want”.
#WATCH | US President Donald Trump says, "I think you heard about the oil deal with Russia. That is a big deal. That is massive amounts of oil coming into our country. I want to thank President Putin. We have massive amounts of oil coming into our country, and it is diesel, which is what we want." (Source: US Network Pool via Reuters)
— ANI (@ANI) October 9, 2026
The US-Russia deal attracted strong criticism from the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who condemned it as “absolutely terrible” and “not fair and not honest”.
Ironically, this comes after the US imposed punitive sanctions on countries including India for buying Russian oil, claiming that this amounted to indirectly funding the Russia-Ukraine war. The US sanctions persisted despite India clarifying that the purchase of Russian oil was driven by two-fold reasons of lower prices and the need to diversify energy sources.
Recently, the US passed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, which empowers the US government to levy up to 100% tariffs on countries purchasing Russian oil. Trump’s sudden change of stance on buying Russian oil after sanctioning Russia and its oil trade partners lays bare the American hypocrisy and the country’s ruthless attitude in protecting its own interests.
