US President Donald Trump unveiled plans for a “steel megaplant” worth $15 billion in Iowa, which will be constructed by the Indian business conglomerate Essar Group’s US arm Mesabi Metallics. This illustrates the dynamics of the interplay between foreign investment and domestic economics before the US mid-term elections. However, the close connections of Essar with Russian energy resources, especially the establishment of Nayara Energy through Russian oil major Rosneft, illustrate the difficulties in using economic pressure against Russia.