US-Russia energy deal exposes geopolitical leverage, sanctions loopholes, and corporate-state collusion in Ukraine war financing

This deal is part of a long history of US-Russia energy entanglements that have repeatedly destabilized global security, from the 1970s oil crises to the 2010s South Stream pipeline disputes. The Iran-Contra affair demonstrated how energy deals could be used to fund covert wars, while the Iraq oil-for-food program showed how sanctions could be exploited to enrich elites while starving civilians. The current diesel deal mirrors these patterns, where energy diplomacy is weaponized to undermine sanctions and prolong conflicts. Understanding this history reveals how the Trump-Putin deal is not an anomaly but a continuation of a century-old playbook where energy is a tool of war.