“THE EUROPEANS are still sending money to Russia for energy,” complained Scott Bessent, America’s treasury secretary(财政部长), in January. “It is so absurd(荒唐的，荒谬的). They are financing the war against themselves(资助针对自己的战争).” So too, now, is America. On October 9th Donald Trump—who just weeks ago signed into law a bill requiring tariffs on big importers of Russian oil and gas—said that Vladimir Putin, Russia’s president, would sell millions of tonnes of diesel fuel to America.(10月9日，唐纳德·特朗普表示俄罗斯总统弗拉基米尔·普京将向美国出售数百万吨柴油——而就在几周前，他刚刚签署了一项法案，要求对俄罗斯石油和天然气的大进口商加征关税。) The deal has sparked a minor rebellion(反叛，反抗) among Mr Trump’s supporters. Worse, it is unlikely to achieve his goals.
“欧洲人还在为能源给俄罗斯送钱，”美国财政部长斯科特·贝森特今年1月抱怨道，“这太荒唐了。他们是在资助针对自己的战争。”如今，美国自己也这么干了。10月9日，唐纳德·特朗普——就在几周前，他刚刚签署了一项法案，要求对俄罗斯石油和天然气的大进口商加征关税——表示俄罗斯总统弗拉基米尔·普京将向美国出售数百万吨柴油。这笔交易在特朗普的支持者中引发了一场小规模的反叛。更糟的是，它不太可能实现他的目标。
Mr Trump’s motivations are mixed. His advisers portray(描绘，刻画) the deal as an effort to pave the way for(为……铺平道路) peace talks; the president also announced a Russia-Ukraine energy ceasefire, which was denied by Ukraine and ignored by Russia.(总统还宣布了俄乌能源停火，但乌克兰予以否认，俄罗斯则置之不理。) European diplomats suspect that some of the president’s aides are desperate(急切的，不顾一切的) to re-establish economic ties(重建经济联系) with Russia. But a more pressing concern for Mr Trump is rising prices at home. Annual inflation(通货膨胀) hit 3.7% in September, driven by higher energy costs.
特朗普的动机错综复杂。他的顾问们把这笔交易描绘成在为和谈铺路；总统还宣布了俄乌能源停火，但乌克兰予以否认，俄罗斯则置之不理。欧洲外交官怀疑，总统的一些助手急于与俄罗斯重建经济联系。但对特朗普来说，更紧迫的关切是国内物价上涨。9月年通胀率达到3.7%，主要受能源成本上升推动。
America is a diesel exporter, but a global shortage has pushed up prices everywhere. The main cause is the war in Iran and the disruption(中断，扰乱) of tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz(霍尔木兹海峡，全球最重要的石油运输咽喉). Ukraine’s strikes on Russian refineries have made matters worse(使情况更糟). Diesel costs $6.29 per gallon in America, up 72% from a year earlier. That could have political consequences: of seven “toss-up(胜负难料的，势均力敌的)” Senate races in November’s midterm elections(美国中期选举，总统任期中间举行的国会选举), four are in states that use more diesel than average, according to The Economist’s calculations.
美国本是柴油出口国，但全球短缺已推高各地价格。主因是伊朗战争以及霍尔木兹海峡油轮运输中断。乌克兰对俄罗斯炼油厂的打击更是雪上加霜。美国柴油价格为每加仑6.29美元，同比上涨72%。这可能带来政治后果：据《经济学人》测算，在11月中期选举的七个“胜负难料”的参议院选区中，有四个位于柴油使用量高于平均水平的州。