US President Donald Trump said on Saturday he had agreed with Russian President Vladimir Putin on large-scale Russian diesel deliveries to world markets, a move Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy branded “absolutely terrible” and “not fair and not honest.”
Trump announced the arrangement on Truth Social after what he called a “highly successful discussion” with Putin.
Fuel prices under pressure
US fuel costs have soared, partly because of disruption tied to the war with Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Diesel hit a record $6.52 a gallon last month, piling political pressure on the White House ahead of November’s midterm elections.
Kyiv: “A weak decision by strong partners”
Zelenskyy told Axios the deal “looks like a happy birthday present for Putin.” In a social media post, he called it “an investment in a war that must be ended, not prolonged,” and warned Moscow would repay it with “further terror and perfidy.”
“It plays into Russia’s hands – allowing it to kill more, wage war for longer, have even less respect for America, and inflict even greater losses and damage on the world,” he said.
Ukraine’s embassy in Washington said Ukrainian negotiators who met Trump’s envoys in Miami had been “used as a smokescreen for the deal.” Zelenskyy described it as “a weak decision by strong partners.”
“That is certainly not fair. It is certainly not how partners should treat each other,” he said.
Criticism at home
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, with Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Elizabeth Warren, said the agreement undermined recent sanctions legislation. “This is what failure looks like,” they said in a joint statement. “Failure for President Trump to live up to his promises to lower costs for Americans. Failure to protect America from its adversaries.”
Republican Congressman Don Bacon also objected, writing on X: “Propping up Putin’s war economy is morally wrong as he uses that money to bomb cities.”
The US Treasury has issued a temporary licence permitting certain Russian diesel transactions despite existing sanctions. Putin confirmed Russia’s readiness to supply oil and petroleum products to the US and global markets.
