Trump Announces Russian Diesel Deal; Zelensky Calls It Gift to Putin
President Trump revealed a deal allowing Russia to sell petroleum products, drawing sharp criticism from Ukrainian President Zelensky.
President Donald Trump announced an agreement that would permit Russia to sell diesel and other petroleum products, a move that immediately drew condemnation from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who called it a gift to Moscow and warned it would extend the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Zelensky argued that enabling Russia to profit from energy exports would replenish Kremlin coffers and sustain its military campaign against Ukraine, undermining international efforts to pressure Moscow into ending the conflict. The Ukrainian leader's remarks underscored a deepening rift between Kyiv and Washington over the approach to ending the more than three-year-old war.
Read more Trump Russia Deal Reflects Push to Lower US Fuel Costs →
The announcement marks a notable shift in U.S. posture toward Russian energy, which has been subject to broad Western sanctions since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Critics contend that any easing of pressure on Russian energy revenues contradicts the stated goal of bringing the war to a close on terms favorable to Ukraine and its allies.
The deal's precise terms, including which parties would facilitate the transactions and how the petroleum would reach global markets, were not fully detailed in the announcement. Analysts are likely to scrutinize whether the agreement would effectively circumvent existing sanctions architecture put in place by the European Union and other Western partners.
The episode illustrates the growing tension between the Trump administration's diplomatic outreach toward Moscow and the demands of Ukraine and its European allies, who have insisted that economic pressure on Russia remain intact until a durable peace agreement is reached. Continue reading at BBC News.
