Trump's Russian diesel deal draws bipartisan senators' rebuke and anger in Kyiv

A diesel deal with Moscow

Donald Trump said on Friday, 9 October, that he had agreed with Vladimir Putin to release Russian diesel for the American market and world markets. According to the Kremlin, the arrangement required easing part of the sanctions the Trump administration had earlier imposed on Moscow. Trump has argued that more Russian diesel would lower fuel prices in the United States before the congressional elections on 3 November, where high fuel costs have become a political problem for the Republican Party. Some experts questioned how effective the arrangement would be. Polls suggest the Republicans could lose their majority in the House of Representatives, and a loss of the Senate majority cannot be ruled out.

Trump's defence and shifting claims

Trump has defended the agreement, calling it the right choice for the American people on Monday, 12 October. On Tuesday, 13 October, he suggested that Russia would not sell its diesel to the United States but would release it onto world markets instead. Trump also said Ukraine and Russia had reportedly agreed an energy truce, and he argued that Ukraine needed a new leader able to conclude a deal. The timeline of the deal and the reactions to it are set out below.

Congress, Europe and Kyiv respond

A joint letter from a dozen-odd senators from both parties asked Trump to withdraw from the agreement and restore sanctions on Russia's energy sector. The senators described the deal as a gift to the enemy and a betrayal of allies, and they argued that any relief for American drivers would be limited or non-existent. They also said income flowing to the Kremlin would finance the war. On Wednesday, 14 October, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of Italy called the diesel deal a very risky choice, arguing it contradicted efforts to push Putin toward peace talks with Ukraine. Carlo Masali, a security expert at the Bundeswehr University in Munich, said the reports showed Trump had little interest in backing Ukraine, with US domestic politics and relations with Russia far more important to him.

Kyiv's position and UK support

Kyiv said it had not been consulted on the energy truce proposal, but declared readiness to halt attacks on Russian energy infrastructure if Moscow did the same. In a 12 October video address to the Warsaw Security Forum, Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine was grateful to the United States and backed the idea of an energy truce, and he said Russia now had to show it agreed. In an interview with Piers Morgan on Uncensored, asked whether he felt betrayed, Zelensky said yes, but added that the situation was more complicated than his own feelings. He stressed that Ukraine could not afford to be weak because the stakes were its survival.

During a visit to London, Zelensky was received by King Charles III at Buckingham Palace and then met Prime Minister Andy Burnham on Downing Street. Burnham described the recent days as very hard for Ukraine and said Britain remained a steadfast ally. He announced a planned delivery of ground-to-air missiles worth 45 million pounds to counter Russian drones, with 10 million pounds of that sum to be delivered on an accelerated basis to meet urgent needs.

The Kremlin's view

Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev said on Wednesday, 14 October, that the diesel agreement could serve as a model for further economic projects. He said Russia would overcome sanctions difficulties to carry out the deliveries and that more talks with Americans on economic and investment projects were planned. Dmitriev also argued that US sanctions mainly harmed Americans and American farmers.