Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has criticised a US deal to allow Russian diesel into global markets, warning that easing restrictions on Russian petroleum products could help finance Moscow’s war in Ukraine rather than bring peace.
The criticism followed an announcement by US President Donald Trump on Friday that Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed to release hundreds of thousands of tonnes of diesel into the American and global markets. Trump said the move would help bring down energy costs amid rising prices linked to the war with Iran.
“Russia will immediately supply over 300,000 tons of Diesel Fuel to the American and Global Marketplace, another 500,000 tons during the month of November,” Trump said after talks with Putin.
Zelenskyy responded in a post on X, describing the arrangement as a concession to the Russian leader. “Gifts to Putin will not bring peace or any benefit to the civilized world,” he wrote.
He argued that allowing Russia to sell petroleum products would provide economic support to a country whose invasion of Ukraine remains a central source of tension between Moscow and Western governments.
“Allowing Russia to sell petroleum products is an investment in a war that must be ended, not prolonged,” Zelenskyy added. “What is needed is real de-escalation with Russia on a reciprocal basis.”
The US Treasury Department also announced that it was issuing a temporary licence permitting Russian diesel to enter global markets. However, the White House did not immediately explain who would pay for the supplies, when deliveries would begin or how the arrangement would operate in practice.
It also remained unclear whether the additional deliveries expected in November would arrive before the US midterm elections scheduled for 3 November.
The announcement raises questions about Washington’s approach to sanctions against Russia, particularly because Trump had signed broad measures targeting Russia’s energy sector and other industries helping finance its war in Ukraine only a month earlier.
The latest move also comes amid questions over whether the administration will introduce further sanctions under bipartisan legislation aimed at major importers of Russian oil and gas.
Trump did not address the existing sanctions or Russia’s war in Ukraine in his announcement. Instead, he focused on the potential economic benefits for Americans facing higher energy costs.
“Lower prices for Americans, especially our Great Farmers, Ranchers, and Truckers, is my Greatest Priority,” he said.
Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev welcomed the announcement, reposting the Treasury Department’s statement on X on Friday. He said that “Russia-US cooperation on diesel and energy will benefit the world.”
The disagreement highlights the competing priorities surrounding the proposed arrangement. The Trump administration has presented the diesel supply as a way to ease energy costs, while Zelenskyy argues that allowing Russian petroleum products back into international markets risks providing financial support to Moscow while its war against Ukraine continues.
