Trump announces deal to buy Russian diesel; Zelenskyy furious
US President Donald Trump said he agreed with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Russian diesel supplies to the American and global markets. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the deal "absolutely terrible", and it has also drawn criticism from Democrats and some Republicans.
US President Donald Trump announced on Friday, 9 October, on his Truth Social network that he had agreed with Russian President Vladimir Putin on supplies of Russian diesel to the US and global markets. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sharply condemned the move, which cuts against years of US and Western pressure on the Kremlin to end its war in Ukraine, now in its fifth year.
What Trump announced
According to Trump's post, Russia will immediately supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel, a further 500,000 tons in November and 1,000,000 tons right after that. Later, depending on the state of its refineries, the volume would rise to 3,000,000 tons. Trump claimed diesel prices in the US and worldwide would fall quickly.
Fuel prices in the US have soared because Iran closed the strait of Hormuz, a strategic choke point through which 20% of global oil supplies passed before the war. Petrol now averages $4.20 a gallon, while diesel hit a record $6.52 last month. This has done political damage to Trump and the Republicans ahead of November's midterm elections, since diesel underpins supply chains and farm machinery.
Reaction
Zelenskyy said the deal looked like "a happy birthday present for Putin", who turned 74 earlier this week. He called it an investment in a war that must be ended, not prolonged, and said Ukrainian negotiators had been "used as a smokescreen". The announcement came as Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met Ukrainian and European officials in Miami to discuss proposals to end the war.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, together with Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Elizabeth Warren, said the deal undermines a law Trump signed last month that allows broad sanctions on Russian banks, officials and tankers. The law nevertheless gives Trump wide discretion to make exceptions. Republican congressman Don Bacon of Nebraska also criticised the agreement.
Trump had recently criticised Ukraine for striking Russian diesel refineries. Zelenskyy refused to stop unless Russia accepted a reciprocal halt to attacks on energy infrastructure.
