US President Donald Trump has decided to temporarily lift sanctions on Russian diesel after reaching an agreement with Vladimir Putin. The announcement comes as the White House is also negotiating with Ukraine over a possible end to the war, provoking strong reactions. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accuses the Americans of using the peace talks as a cover while they negotiated with Russia.

On Friday, Donald Trump announced that he had reached a deal with Vladimir Putin on substantial Russian diesel deliveries to the US and international markets.

According to Trump, Russia will initially deliver over 300,000 tons of diesel, followed by another 500,000 tons in November and larger volumes thereafter. Shortly after the announcement, the US Treasury Department issued a temporary sanctions waiver allowing the sale, transport, and import of Russian diesel—even directly to the US—until April 2027.

This decision marks a clear shift in US policy towards Russia. Less than a month ago, Trump signed a sweeping sanctions act targeting Russia, aiming to restrict Russian energy revenues that help finance the war in Ukraine.

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Trump has previously criticized European countries for continuing to buy Russian energy. Now, his own administration is opening the door for the US to do the same.

The background is the sharply rising diesel prices, which have become a growing problem for the Trump administration ahead of the US midterm elections in November.

The war with Iran has caused extensive disruptions to the international energy supply, while Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries have further limited diesel availability. Last Friday, the average US diesel price was $6.27 per gallon—about $1.66 per liter—roughly 70 percent higher than a year ago.

Trump describes the deal as an important step to push down fuel prices. Energy experts, however, are skeptical about its impact, as the promised deliveries are relatively small compared to the size of the US market. It is also uncertain how quickly Russia can ramp up exports after Ukrainian attacks have knocked out significant parts of the country’s refining capacity.

Zelensky: Birthday Gift to Putin

The announcement has caused outrage in Ukraine, not least due to its timing. While Trump was negotiating with Putin, Ukrainian representatives were in Miami meeting with presidential envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. Representatives from Germany, France, the UK, the EU, and NATO also joined the discussions regarding new American proposals to end the war.

In an interview with Axios, Zelensky says the Americans had not informed Ukraine that a Russian diesel deal was in the works. According to the Ukrainian president, his negotiators only learned about an hour before Trump’s announcement that a call with Putin would take place and that an announcement on sanctions could be coming.

Zelensky now accuses Trump of using negotiations with Ukraine while a separate agreement was prepared with Russia.

– You know, it looks like a birthday present for Putin. It looks absolutely terrible, Zelensky told Axios.

Zelensky argues that the US decision risks strengthening the Russian economy and consequently the Kremlin’s ability to continue the war. He also questions what exactly Trump received in return, since no Russian concession in the form of a ceasefire has been presented.

The Ukrainian president compares the situation to last year’s Trump-Putin summit in Alaska, where he claims Americans made concessions without getting enough in return.

According to Zelensky, Ukraine could have accepted looser sanctions on Russian energy if they were part of a deal in which both countries would stop attacking each other’s energy infrastructure. No such agreement has been announced, however. Despite the criticism, he emphasizes that Ukraine still needs American help to end the war.

Images from Ukraine.

Russia Demanded Eased Sanctions

At the same time, Kyiv Independent reports that Russia had previously demanded American sanctions relief as a condition for considering a limited ceasefire around energy infrastructure in Ukraine and Russia. The information comes from US and Ukrainian officials with knowledge of the diplomatic contacts.

According to the newspaper, the demands were conveyed during meetings in September between Trump’s envoys and Putin’s special representative Kirill Dmitriev. The Kremlin reportedly also wanted to link negotiations to a possible ceasefire in the Black Sea. Which sanctions Russia primarily wanted lifted is unclear, but a European diplomat states that access to frozen Russian assets may also be at stake.

Ukrainian officials suspect Russia is trying to use the peace process to gain economic benefits without making equivalent military concessions. Meanwhile, Russia has intensified attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, causing widespread blackouts in cities including Kyiv.

According to Ukrainian defense sources, Russia is trying to cause as much damage as possible to improve its negotiating position ahead of winter.

It remains unclear whether Trump’s decision to open up to Russian diesel sales is directly linked to the demands previously made by the Kremlin.

Another Explanation

According to new reports from Axios, there may also be another explanation for the president’s actions. A US official with direct knowledge says Trump made the decision after Zelensky repeatedly refused American calls to stop attacking Russian oil refineries.

The Trump administration believes these attacks contribute to high fuel prices in the US, while Ukraine has demanded that a halt to attacks must be mutual and also include Russia’s strikes on Ukrainian power stations.

Drone attack on oil terminal. Montage by Samnytt. Photo: Facsimile X / Ukraine’s President

Criticism of Trump—Kremlin Welcomes the Decision

The deal has also drawn criticism within the US. Democratic senators Chuck Schumer, Elizabeth Warren, and Jeanne Shaheen stated in a joint statement that the decision was a betrayal of Ukraine, America’s European allies, and US security.

They accuse Trump of trying to resolve economic problems brought on by the war with Iran by making concessions to Putin. Republican Congressman Don Bacon also reacted strongly.

– The president is morally blind toward Putin. Money should not outweigh morality, Bacon told Politico.

The Russian side, however, welcomed the news. Putin’s special representative Kirill Dmitriev emphasizes that increased energy and economic cooperation between Russia and the US will benefit the global market.

The Kremlin has also confirmed that energy issues and possible solutions to the Ukraine conflict were discussed during the presidents’ talks.

Zelensky now wants clarification on whether the diesel deal is also connected to a planned trip to Russia by Trump’s envoys. He suspects the American concessions may have been offered in order to secure further negotiations with Putin, but stresses that he is not certain if that is the case.

– If you let them export diesel and you think you have to go to Russia to negotiate beforehand, it looks like you’re buying that meeting, Zelensky told Axios.

“Peace Will Never Come Through Weakness”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has responded to the US decision in a lengthy post on social media, where he describes the move as a sign of weakness toward Russia.

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