Ustenko shared his opinions with Espreso TV.“Just imagine: Russia earns $150 billion annually from oil sales alone. That is why it is crucial to target sanctions that cut off these oil and gas revenues, and this is already happening. For example, the United States imposed an additional 25% tariff on India, which has increased its Russian oil purchases nearly 50-fold since the start of the large-scale war. India, which trades heavily with the U.S. — selling over $500 billion in products — will now pay 25% more in tariffs on these goods,” he explained.This makes goods uncompetitive in many markets, drives up prices for ordinary consumers, and reduces demand for these products.“This is precisely how the policy of cutting Russia’s revenues works, creating serious problems for them. Their budget deficit is now far higher than planned in Russia’s state budget for this year. While some parts of the economy show growth, it is very conditional: the projected 1% growth this year reflects only sectors linked to the military-industrial complex. But you can’t feed people with guns and shells, nor hang them on your wall. This limited growth also consumes more state funds, widening the budget deficit — a deficit that cannot be financed. If U.S. sanctions against India’s purchase of Russian oil continue, Russia could lose roughly $50 billion annually,” he said.Oleh Ustenko noted that Russia’s revenue from oil would drop from $150 billion to $100 billion. The situation could change even more dramatically if the U.S. imposed tariffs on China.“Instead of the $150 billion we were discussing, Russia would receive only $100 billion. And if sanctions target China for buying Russian oil — China, which sells roughly $600 billion of goods to the United States and wants to preserve that market — the situation in Russia could fundamentally change. Therefore, Trump is right, despite what people say about his logic or lack thereof. In my view, he applies clear economic reasoning, using economic measures to push through the decisions he wants. With Russia, we hope he will continue down exactly this path,” the economist said.On August 21, it became known that Chinese refineries placed new orders for Russian crude oil, which will be shipped from ports that usually supplied it to India.