Trump hails Russia deal to supply diesel amid Zelenskyy’s criticism

Amid Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's criticism of easing sanctions on Moscow without a de-escalation agreement, US President Donald Trump on Friday hailed the diesel deal with Russia as a "big deal", thanking Russian President Vladimir Putin for agreeing to supply "massive amounts" of diesel to the United States, reported ANI.

“I think you heard about the oil deal with Russia. That is a big deal. That is massive amounts of oil coming into our country. I want to thank President Putin. We have massive amounts of oil coming into our country, and it is diesel, which is what we want,” Trump told reporters outside the White House before heading to Syracuse, New York, for the midterm election campaign.

His remarks come following his announcement that Russia would immediately supply over 300,000 tonnes of diesel fuel to American and global markets.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said Russia would supply another 500,000 tonnes during November and 1 million tonnes immediately thereafter, followed by a further 3 million tonnes within a short period, depending on the condition of its diesel refineries.

He said the proposed supplies, along with what he described as US control of the Strait of Hormuz, would bring down diesel prices for Americans and the wider global market.

“Between our TOTAL CONTROL of the Strait of Hormuz, and this great announcement on Russian Energy, Diesel Prices for Americans and, indeed, the World, will be COMING DOWN, IN RECORD NUMBERS, AND FAST!” Trump said.

He described lowering prices for Americans, particularly farmers, ranchers and truckers, as his “Greatest Priority” and reiterated that Iran would not be allowed to possess a nuclear weapon.

However, Zelenskyy on Friday termed any easing of sanctions against Russia without a clear and lasting de-escalation agreement an “obvious weakness”, warning that it could allow Moscow to prolong the war.

In a post on X, Zelenskyy called for stronger sanctions against Russia, continued support for Ukraine and greater pressure on Moscow to end the conflict.

“Peace never comes through weakness. Today, representatives of the U.S. Congress were in Kyiv – a bipartisan delegation – and I am grateful to them for visiting Ukraine at such a difficult time. They asked: what is needed to end the war? The answer must be strong. There must be sanctions under the Lindsey Graham bill, there must be support for Ukraine in protecting lives, and there must be pressure on Russia for its war,” he wrote.

Zelenskyy said easing sanctions without a lasting agreement would benefit Moscow by allowing it to continue the war and inflict further damage.

“Any easing of sanctions against Russia without a clear and lasting de-escalation agreement with Russia is an obvious weakness. It plays into Russia’s hands – allowing it to kill more, wage war for longer, have even less respect for America, and inflict even greater losses and damage on the world,” he said.

Referring to the proposed diesel supplies, Zelenskyy said, “Gifts to Putin will not bring peace or any benefit to the civilized world. Russia will ‘repay’ the diesel with further terror and perfidy. Allowing Russia to sell petroleum products is an investment in a war that must be ended, not prolonged.”

He also said Ukraine was ready to take reciprocal steps towards de-escalation, linking Kyiv's strikes on Russian oil refineries to Moscow's attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure.

“Ukraine will not set Russian oil refineries on fire if Russia does not destroy our energy infrastructure. This is the kind of agreement we are proposing to America, and we believe the United States has enough power to achieve such a compromise,” Zelenskyy said.

In a phone interview with Axios on Friday (local time), Zelenskyy also criticised Trump's decision to ease sanctions on Russia and allow it to export diesel, describing it as “not fair and not honest”.

According to Axios, Trump's announcement came as his envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were meeting the Ukrainian negotiating team in Miami, alongside senior diplomats from Germany, France, the United Kingdom, the European Union and NATO, to discuss new US proposals for ending the war.

Meanwhile, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak recently said that Russia's diesel fuel market was balanced and that Moscow would consider partially reopening exports only in the event of overproduction, according to the TASS news agency.

Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a telephone conversation on Friday, during which considerable attention was paid to prospects for resolving the Ukraine crisis, the Kremlin said, reported Xinhua.

On global energy developments, Russia reaffirmed its readiness to supply oil and petroleum products to U.S. and global markets, according to the Kremlin.

"I am confident that this will have a positive impact on the entire global economy," Putin said.

The talks also covered the situation surrounding Iran and various aspects of bilateral relations. The two sides reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining personal contacts between the presidents and continuing cooperation between their respective administrations, intelligence services and other agencies.

Trump also confirmed the phone call in a post on Truth Social.

"I have just concluded a highly successful discussion with President Vladimir Putin, of Russia, wherein it was agreed that 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, and 1,000,000 Tons immediately thereafter," Trump wrote.

"Additionally, based on the condition of their Diesel Refineries, Russia will then deliver, within a short period of time, 3,000,000 Tons of Diesel Fuel," he added.

Trump expressed confidence that the supplies would help bring down global diesel prices quickly.

Following the phone call, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said that Russia will begin lifting restrictions on diesel fuel exports ahead of schedule.

Novak said that Russia stands ready to supply additional diesel volumes to the U.S. market and other partners.

On the same day, the U.S. Department of the Treasury issued a temporary general license allowing the sale, delivery, offloading and importation of Russian-origin diesel fuel to the global market.

In a separate comment to reporters, Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov described the phone call between the two presidents as friendly, substantive and 1.5 hours long.

"Considerable attention was paid to prospects for resolving the conflict in Ukraine. Putin spoke in detail about the measures we are taking in response to terrorist attacks by the Kiev regime, which has opted for escalation and is prolonging the conflict in every possible way," Ushakov said.

He said that Russia's armed forces hold the full initiative and are advancing in the zone of the special military operation, adding that Kiev's attempts to strike deep into Russian territory to halt the advance of Russian troops along the entire contact line stand no chance of success.

Ushakov noted that the previous presidential discussion considered the possibility of resuming trilateral talks after the State Duma elections, but the situation has since changed.

"By attempting to sabotage our elections, launching a massive drone attack on Moscow, other cities and polling stations on the main voting day, and targeting individuals involved in organizing the vote, Kiev has effectively scuttled the chance for an immediate restart of negotiations," Ushakov said.