US President Donald Trump announced on Friday an agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin for the release of Russian diesel to global markets, which marks a dramatic turnaround in US policy toward Moscow since the start of the war in Ukraine.
The move also aims to address rising fuel costs before the US midterm elections.
In a social media post, Trump wrote he had made a deal with Putin during a phone call that was supposed to be about a suspected plague outbreak in Russia.
What did Trump say?
According to Trump, Russia would immediately supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel, followed by an additional 500,000 tons in November and 1 million tons “immediately thereafter.”
Trump wrote that Russia would deliver another 3 million tons “within a short period of time” after that.
The US Treasury Department issued a temporary license that will allow Russian diesel to reach global markets through April 2027.
Kirill Dmitriev, the Russian presidential envoy, reposted the Treasury Department’s announcement on X, saying that “Russia-U.S. cooperation on diesel and energy will benefit the world.”
How did Ukraine react?
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that any easing of sanctions against Russia without a clear and lasting de-escalation agreement with Russia is an obvious sign of weakness.
“Gifts to Putin will not bring peace or any benefit to the civilized world. Russia will ‘repay’ the diesel with further terror and perfidy,” he wrote on X.
Zelenskyy added that Ukraine hopes the United States will have a strong conversation with Russia: “A strong one, not a weak one.”
Sanctions against Russia
Since its 2022 full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine, Moscow has been hit with waves of sanctions by the United States and its partners.
Earlier this year, temporary US sanctions waivers that allowed the sale of Russian oil raised concerns because they could hinder efforts to deprive Moscow of funds for its war in Ukraine.
Trump’s announcement on Friday came just before US, Ukrainian, and European officials were set to meet in Miami for new diplomatic talks aimed at ending Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Edited by: Sean Sinico
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