White House defends Trump's Russian diesel deal after Meloni calls it risky
The White House called the US-Russian diesel deal a great deal after Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said it was very risky and legitimizes Moscow. Zelensky thanked Meloni for her stance, while the Kremlin criticised European governments for rejecting the agreement.
The agreement and its terms
Donald Trump announced the deal on 9 October after a phone call with Vladimir Putin, according to Rai News. Under its terms, more than 300,000 tonnes of Russian diesel would reach the American and global market immediately, followed by 500,000 tonnes in November and a further one million tonnes shortly after. Up to three million additional tonnes could follow, depending on the capacity of Moscow's refineries. To make the flows possible, the US Treasury temporarily suspended sanctions on Russian diesel until April 2027 through a general license issued by the OFAC. Trump linked the initiative to the Strait of Hormuz and the war in Iran, and promised steep fuel price reductions ahead of the American midterm elections.
- Immediate (over)
- 300000 tonnes
- November
- 500000 tonnes
- Shortly after
- 1000000 tonnes
- Additional (up to)
- 3000000 tonnes
Meloni's objection
In her Senate address on Wednesday, 14 October, ahead of the European Council meeting on Thursday and Friday, she called the arrangement a risky step.
The deal on Russian diesel announced last Friday by US President Donald Trump is a move I consider very risky.
She argued that the rise in fuel prices stems mainly from the war in Iran rather than the conflict in Ukraine. She warned that the deal risked legitimizing Moscow while its bombs kept falling on Ukrainian cities, generating new revenue to finance the war and weakening the leverage of sanctions. Meloni said Italy's support for Ukraine does not change and called for a more authoritative European voice in the negotiations.
- Trump announces the diesel deal after a phone call with Putin
- Meloni tells the Senate the deal is very risky; Zelensky thanks her on X
- White House spokesperson calls the deal a great deal for lowering prices
Washington stands by the deal
The White House answered on Thursday, 15 October, through a spokesperson who told la Repubblica the deal would lower prices. Taylor Rogers, named as the spokesperson in several Italian reports, said that cutting costs for large farmers, truckers and American families remains a top priority. The White House statement put the core claim this way:
President Trump has successfully negotiated another major agreement to supply the global market with enormous quantities of diesel and lower prices.
Rogers also said Trump is urging both sides in the Russia-Ukraine war to stop attacks on refineries, which he said are raising costs and harming American consumers. Open reported that Trump has also answered doubts voiced by some Republicans, arguing the deal could benefit international markets, and told Zelensky he should focus on reaching a deal rather than talking about one.
Moscow and Kyiv react
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the European position as destructive, saying European countries had not only failed to welcome the agreement but had criticised it harshly, as reported by Interfax. He said global energy and oil markets are in a very tense situation, citing among other factors Russia's inability to export significant quantities of oil and petroleum products. A Russian foreign ministry spokesperson said the deal was none of Meloni's business. Zelensky thanked Meloni in a post on X on Wednesday for her stance condemning the deal.
I thank Giorgia Meloni for her support and for her clear, unequivocal, and principled stance.
