The final work of the late Lindsey Graham was legislation that effectively cut off Russia from the American market. President Donald Trump signed it shortly after his death. That sentiment didn’t even last a month.
President Trump recently announced that the U.S. would buy nearly five million tons of Russian diesel fuel, including an immediate supply of 300,000 tons. Applicable sanctions will be lifted, and the U.S. and Russia are somehow trading again.
The problems with this are very obvious. As anyone who hasn’t been living under a rock knows, Russia invaded Ukraine almost five years ago. For most of that time, we and our NATO allies have aided Ukraine in that war. Until a couple of weeks ago, few in the American camp had any problem with Ukraine destroying whatever Russian military target they pleased.
We then reached the point where President Trump worried about Russian diesel refineries amid the blockades of the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea. He demanded that both sides engage in an “energy ceasefire,” which sounds great in a vacuum until you realize that neither Russia nor Ukraine got the memo. Russia went so far as to immediately target multiple power plants afterward. Even so, Trump claims the ceasefire was agreed to “because I said they agree.” Many in the conservative camp were confused but didn’t pay it much attention, since there were massive oil shortages everywhere and global shipping was in jeopardy.
What seems questionable, however, is that the American president is engaging in formal trade relations with a hostile nation. The optics are poor. Furthermore, this is the same president who for years had fought allegations that Russia had tampered with the 2016 election. Those accusations had finally worn off, but openly buying diesel fuel from Moscow is going to bring the Trump-Russia allegations back to full steam.
Who does this benefit?
It certainly helps Russia. It would receive a substantial new revenue stream to help propel its war effort and struggling economy. But that’s exactly what most Americans don’t want to happen, and Lindsey Graham is probably rolling in his grave.
Who else stands to gain from this? The excess fuel we would receive is a drop in the bucket compared to how much the U.S. and its buyers use each day. The first shipment is supposed to be around 36 million barrels. The world consumes 28 million barrels daily.
It won’t even help public opinion of the GOP. Yes, this influx may marginally aid the struggling farm states (and the Republican candidates in unexpectedly tight races in those states), but any gains are canceled out by the fact that the president is going against his word from a month ago and opening trade with an adversary.
The biggest knock against the GOP going into midterms is the high gas prices perpetuated by the war in Iran. However, the GOP has always had clear reasoning and ethical solutions in place to mitigate those issues. Trading with Russia is makes zero sense from a public opinion standpoint.
It’s no secret that President Trump has not had the best of relations with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, but it seems clear that Ukraine isn’t the enemy here. Ukraine was subject to a hostile invasion attempt and has since been fighting off Russia for years. However, this doesn’t mean that Ukraine is immune to baseless accusations and pointless opposition from the president. Trump accused Zelensky of not ending the war sooner. Does the Ukrainian president want his home country to continue to be invaded?
Are there chess pieces we don’t know about? Is there some strategy that makes this make sense? Russia won’t accept a deal from America unless it benefits, but Trump wouldn’t do this for no reason either.
The editors of National Review hit on the obvious point: “In early January, it was priced at around $3.50 per gallon. It spiked as soon as the war against Iran began, and apart from one brief pullback, it has kept on up and now costs about $6.20 per gallon.” But is the deal enough to change the math?
The deal might not last. Congress seems to be pushing back, and much of the GOP doesn’t support it either. Given what has happened in the past five years and the actions the U.S. has taken to oppose Russia, a move like this is simply baffling.
