Photo via thehindu.com
Trump Strikes Diesel Deal With Putin, Calls for Zelenskyy's Ouster
The President announced a Russian diesel supply agreement and blamed Ukraine's leader for high US fuel prices. A Republican congressman immediately moved to block the deal.
What happened
President Donald Trump announced Friday that Russia would supply more than 4 million tons of diesel to global markets, starting with 300,000 tons immediately, followed by 500,000 tons in November and escalating thereafter. The Treasury Department temporarily waived sanctions on Russian diesel through April 2027 to allow the shipments. The deal came after Trump spoke with President Vladimir Putin and marks a reversal of Trump's own Russia sanctions law signed just weeks earlier.
Trump blamed President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for high US diesel prices, attributing them to Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries. He called Saturday for Ukraine to get a new president, saying Zelenskyy "could have made many deals" but never does. Zelenskyy responded by calling the agreement a "gift to Putin" and "an investment in a war that must be ended, not prolonged." Ukraine's Foreign Minister said the Ukrainian people had the right to decide their leader.
Republican Representative Brian Fitzpatrick announced Saturday that he would force a House vote to block the deal through a discharge petition, naming the legislation the "Ronald Reagan Peace Through Strength Act." Retiring Representative Don Bacon agreed to co-sponsor. Analysts and lawmakers expressed concern that the agreement provides Russia with revenue to finance its war in Ukraine while likely having minimal impact on US fuel prices.
European officials reacted sharply. EU Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas warned that suspending sanctions on Russian diesel gives Moscow "more revenues to wage war," while Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo called the deal a "terrible disappointment." Germany said it would maintain its Russia sanctions.
Energy experts cast doubt on the deal's effectiveness. The 300,000 tons of immediate supply covers approximately 14 hours of US diesel consumption, analysts noted. One expert called it a "symbolic act" unlikely to significantly move world market prices, though Trump claimed prices would fall "in record numbers, and fast." The deal occurred as US negotiators met with Ukrainian officials in Miami to discuss ending the war.
Chanakya's Move
Trump is betting that political credit for attempting to lower fuel prices before the midterms outweighs the cost of annoying Ukraine and his own Congress. He's casting Zelenskyy as the obstacle to peace and cheap fuel—a narrative designed to shift blame for high prices away from the Iran war and onto Ukraine's military strategy. The move also signals to Putin that the US can be negotiated with outside Congress, rewarding Putin's willingness to talk. The counter-move is clear: Republican hawks (Fitzpatrick, Bacon) are using discharge petitions to put party members on record voting against Trump, framing it as Reagan-era anti-Russian resolve. The real test is whether Europe sticks with sanctions while the US fractures, which could devalue the entire multilateral sanctions architecture.