There is a deep irony in the current application of US sanctions policy, as the administration considers easing a path for Exxon Mobil to return to Russia while hitting India hard with tariffs for its own Russian trade. This has exposed the flexible and often contradictory nature of economic statecraft.
The hardline approach is reserved for India. A total of 50% in duties will soon apply to its exports to the US, a penalty President Trump has explicitly tied to its oil imports from Russia. This is a clear use of economic power to enforce a political line.
The flexible approach is being applied to Russia. In an effort to promote peace talks in Ukraine, the US is dangling the prospect of significant economic rewards, including the potential return of one of its largest corporations to a sanctioned energy project.
This situation highlights that sanctions are not always a blanket policy but a tool that can be selectively applied. The irony lies in punishing an ally for engaging in trade that the US itself is willing to facilitate for its own corporations when it aligns with other strategic objectives.
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