Trump eases Russian fuel sanctions after Putin call, drawing criticism from both US parties

The Friday call and the diesel deal

On Friday, Donald Trump announced an agreement with Vladimir Putin on imports of 4.8 million tonnes of Russian diesel to the United States and other countries over the next several months. The arrangement also suspends sanctions on Russian fuel until April 2027, and US authorities issued a temporary permit for the deliveries that runs until 7 April 2027. Trump said the step was needed to lower prices that had risen because of armed conflicts in the Middle East. One report puts immediate deliveries at 300,000 tonnes to the global market, with possibly several million tonnes more at a later date.

Trump defended the decision on Saturday, saying:

It frees up a lot of fuel for the world. It's a good thing. At a very low price.

Trump's account of the phone call

Speaking to reporters on the flight back to Washington from Tennessee on Saturday, Trump said Putin had told him during Friday's phone call that he would like to end the war in Ukraine. Trump said Putin wanted a resolution to the conflict, and he did not blame Russia for the war continuing. Trump repeated that Ukraine should hold presidential elections and said it was time the country had a new president. He also said that an agreement reached earlier by Zelensky would have been much better for Ukraine.

Trump's criticism of Zelensky

Earlier on Saturday, Trump accused Zelensky of having had many chances to end the war and of choosing not to use them. He also accused the Ukrainian president of striking Russian refineries, which he said creates problems for the whole world. According to Trump, he had told Zelensky not to attack facilities linked to diesel production, and Zelensky continued the strikes anyway. Zelensky answered that the easing of sanctions was a gift to Putin that would not bring peace, and that Russia would repay the concessions with even greater terror.

Criticism from Democrats and Republicans

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer accused Trump of trying to rescue his "slipping political standing" by making a "pact with the devil". Democratic senator Richard Blumenthal called on the president to withdraw from the agreement, writing on X:

This thinly veiled attempt to ease the chaos caused by Trump's illegal war in Iran will only benefit the economies of China and Russia, and will also lead to the deaths of more innocent people in Ukraine.

Republican congressman Don Bacon urged Trump to use the Lindsey Graham bill to strengthen sanctions on Russia. Brian Fitzpatrick, also a Republican congressman, said he would bring a bipartisan bill blocking all purchases of Russian oil to a House vote and predicted it would pass by an overwhelming majority. Senator Lisa Murkowski also backed the Graham bill, saying:

We can talk about Russia's return to world energy markets once the war ends. Until then, we must cut off all sources of financing and supply that sustain this war.

Former vice president Mike Pence wrote on X on Saturday that the decision, given Putin's relentless and brutal attacks on civilian targets in Ukraine, was "completely incomprehensible" and a betrayal of the legacy of the late senator Lindsey Graham.

Estonia's warning and the timeline

Estonian Prime Minister Michal posted his position on Facebook on Saturday, writing:

This is a big miscalculation, because deals with dictators are the road to hell.

He said the European Council should quickly consider increasing support for Ukraine, and that the long-term policy of depriving Russia of revenue from raw materials is right and must continue. The sequence of events runs from the Friday call to the Saturday remarks.

Zaporizhzhia attack

On Saturday morning, a Russian attack on Zaporizhzhia killed 20 people. Zelensky said Russia had thanked the United States for lifting sanctions on Russian fuel by bombing the city.