JUST hours ahead of US Secretary of State Mr. Marco Rubio’s visit to India, United States President Mr. Donald Trump has waived the package of tariffs up to 100 per cent on countries purchasing oil and gas from Russia. The move is set to benefit India as it is one of the top two destinations for Russian crude. India had already raised its concerns on the sanctions act while stressing its right to practice strategic autonomy to fulfill its energy needs. The Trump waiver has come as a major relief for India and at the same time raised many questions over the future trajectory of the US President’s policy on the Russia-Ukraine war. The Lindsey O Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 was signed into law by Mr. Trump with an aim to pressure Russia and also target India and China for its large purchase of Russian oil. The legislation had given full powers to Mr. Trump to impose backbreaking tariffs on India and China, two biggest importers of crude from Russia. But the global energy supplies and price scenario came into play at the right time and the US President had to backtrack on his threat to ensure electoral support at home before next month’s mid-term elections. The world was expecting this move after the surprise diesel deal Mr. Trump made with Russian President Mr. Vladimir Putin last week.

 

Under the deal, Russia would supply more than 3,00,000 tonnes of diesel immediately followed by another 5,00,000 tonnes in November. A further 1 million tonnes is supposed to be supplied later. Mr. Trump cited national interests for the deal as it drew heavy criticism from US lawmakers. The waiver of the special legislation, too, has been attributed to national interests, though there has been now official word from the Trump administration on it. Analysts see the waiver by Mr. Trump as efforts to repair his image before the mid-term elections. His popularity ratings have plummeted after the senseless war with Iran. The US economy is bearing a heavy brunt of the war and the energy crisis it has caused has resulted in fuel price hike in America. The deal with Russia was an act of sheer hypocrisy by Mr. Trump but it is being seen as a desperate attempt by the President to sail through the mid-term polls. Softening of fuel prices is likely to help Mr. Trump in the elections but his administration has a lot of damage-control to undertake at the international level.

 

The waiver has been hailed by Moscow as a historic moment while in Ukraine the decision is seen as a US betrayal. For Ukraine President Mr. Volodymyr Zelenskyy it is another shock after Mr. Trump’s public tirade against his leadership a few days ago. For Europe, it is another backtracking by Washington after pledging full support to Ukraine against Russian military aggression. As Ukraine seethes in anger over “direct American funding to Russia’s war”, it is a hard time for Europe to decide whether to support Mr Zelenskyy or secure its energy needs by increasing purchase of “tariff-less” Russian crude. The White House has a lot of firefighting to do within and without. India stands to benefit from the move without ruffling feathers internationally. New Delhi can go for more Russian oil without any threat from Washington and at the same time can move ahead in the trade talks with US negotiators with a free mind. The burden of sanctions is gone, it is time for India to present the realities to Mr. Rubio.