Trump Strikes Russian Diesel Deal With Putin, Drawing Zelensky's Rebuke Ahead of US Midterms
US President Donald Trump said Russia agreed to supply over 300,000 tonnes of diesel immediately, with 500,000 tonnes more in November, and the US Treasury issued a temporary licence easing sanctions through April 2027. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the move "weak" and "unworthy," while analysts at CNN's sources and Quilter Cheviot questioned whether the volumes would meaningfully lower prices. US diesel averages about €5.40 a litre (approx. $6.28 a gallon).
Bottom line — Analysts quoted by CBS and the BBC say the initial volumes amount to only a few days of US demand, so the pump-price relief Trump promised remains unproven.
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Kyiv Post reported that Zelensky said the deal came as Ukrainian negotiators were in Miami with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, calling it a "smokescreen" for the arrangement.
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Meduza reported that Russia has begun lifting its own diesel export restrictions, with a domestic ban on diesel and marine fuel exports still in effect through the end of October.
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CNBC reported that the agreement sits uneasily with the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, which Trump signed three weeks earlier and which allows tariffs of up to 100% on major buyers of Russian oil.
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Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer called the deal a failure to protect America from its adversaries, while Republican Congressman Don Bacon said the policy lacked moral clarity.
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Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries are central to the dispute: Trump blamed them for fuel prices, while Zelensky said Ukraine would stop if Russia halted attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure.
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The Guardian reported that the deal comes amid rising tensions between Russia and NATO allies, with speculation that Moscow might test the alliance's resolve.
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USA Today reported that the European Union's average diesel price was $9.12 a gallon, while several European governments have kept sanctions on Russian oil imports.
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Daily Mail reported that a Ukrainian official compared buying Russian diesel to buying it from Osama bin Laden, while US-sourced claims dispute Zelensky's account of the Miami talks.