Donald Trump has shrugged off Russia supplying intelligence to his enemies in Iran and rewarded the Kremlin with the option of lifting oil sanctions against Moscow. The latest moves by the US president beg the question “whose side is he on” – and not for the first time.
The most recent concession to Vladimir Putin came after the first telephone call between the two presidents this year – one that the Kremlin says was initiated by the Oval Office to the Russian president.
With an eye on the oil markets, Trump said that he thought the war against Iran would end soon, adding it was “very complete”, before declaring hours later that the fight would continue as we “haven’t won enough”.
His “secretary of war” Pete Hegseth then had a go at clearing things up, promising Tuesday would see the heaviest strikes by the US and Israel so far and warned that Iran would suffer catastrophic consequences if it throttled Gulf oil exports.
At a press conference, Trump unveiled his plan to resolve the spike in oil: “We’re waiving certain oil-related sanctions to reduce prices. So we have sanctions on some countries. We’re going to take those sanctions off until this straightens out.”
He did not identify the countries but he was most likely referring to Russia and its exports to India and China.
“Then who knows, maybe we won’t have to put them on; there’ll be so much peace…,” he added.
There will not be peace in Ukraine as a result of lifting oil sanctions against Russia, which earns over $100bn a year from its sanctions-busting oil exports.
Trump stopped all US military support for Ukraine a year ago. Volodymyr Zelensky has already warned in an interview with The Independent that the Middle East war left his country yet more vulnerable.
Kyiv is also more vulnerable now to Russian missiles because Patriot and THAAD weapons, used to shoot down Russian ballistic rockets, are being used up in the Middle East.
A return of Russia to full export capacity would add at least $50 billion to the Kremlin’s war chest and be massive boost to its military campaign – at a time when Kyiv is showing signs of regaining the military initiative.
The extraordinary suggestion should come as no surprise. Given that Trump had already shrugged off Western intelligence reports, which said that Putin’s spies were giving targeting information to Iran.
That information will have helped Tehran to attack US bases in the Gulf – where at least six US servicemen have been killed.
The US-Israeli war against Iran’s regime had caused a surge in crude oil prices close to $120 a barrel and affected prices for Americans at the gas pump.
