Czech president says Trump's diesel deal set back Ukraine-Russia peace progress

Czech President Petr Pavel has said that the diesel deal involving U.S. President Donald Trump derailed progress toward peace between Ukraine and Russia. Pavel calls the move a mistake that runs against European interests. The source does not set out the details of the deal.

Betrayal or mistake

Pavel declined to say the United States had betrayed Ukraine or other European partners. He said he does not yet know whether it can be called betrayal, but he considers it a mistake. In his view, the step gives Russia new hope that it can disregard Europe and Ukraine, focus on a deal with the United States and potentially China, and arrange matters according to its own priorities and strategies.

Trump's motives

The Czech president said Trump may to some extent be drawn to Russian President Vladimir Putin as a leader with authority. However, Pavel does not believe Trump sees the situation as a struggle between democracy and autocracy. He thinks the U.S. president looks at it purely in terms of economic prosperity for the United States.

Russian oil in Europe

Pavel did not rule out a future in which European countries buy Russian oil, but said it will take time. He said that if Russia one day respects other countries' sovereignty and borders, there is no reason not to do regular business with it, but that Russia is not there yet.