‘Obvious weakness’: Zelenskyy slams Trump’s Russian diesel deal

Zelenskyy calls Russia sanctions relief without de-escalation deal ‘obvious weakness’

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday (local time) warned that easing sanctions against Russia without a clear and lasting de-escalation agreement would be an “obvious weakness” that could prolong the war by allowing Moscow to continue selling petroleum products. In a post on X, Zelenskyy said peace could not be achieved through weakness and called for stronger sanctions, continued support for Ukraine and sustained pressure on Moscow to end the war. "Peace never comes through weakness. Today, representatives of the US 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. And today, there was a conversation between the leaders of America and Russia. A conversation that leads to something different," he wrote. Referring to the diesel announcement, 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." "Recently, there was a European decision to lift sanctions on Russian oligarchs. Since then, Russian strikes and the torment of people have only increased," he added. Citing recent Russian attacks across Ukraine, Zelenskyy said, "This past week alone, there was a brutal Russian missile strike on a residential building in Pryluky, aerial bombs were dropped on Kramatorsk – on ordinary city buses – and there have been constant attacks on Kyiv’s energy infrastructure and on the life-sustaining infrastructure in Dnipro, Kharkiv, Odesa, and our other cities. Dozens of people have been killed and hundreds wounded. " He alleged that Russia was resorting to such attacks because it was struggling to achieve its objectives on the battlefield. "The Russians are compensating for their inability to achieve their objectives on the battlefield with this kind of terror. This year, Russia is weaker on the battlefield than at any other point in the war. That is why Putin is relying on terror. That is why he is relying on attempts to strike backroom deals to secure some form of pressure relief for Russia, in order to buy more time and more opportunities for war," he further said. Zelenskyy said Ukraine was prepared to take reciprocal steps towards de-escalation, adding that the American team was aware of Kyiv’s position. "Ukraine is ready to take symmetrical de-escalatory steps, and the American team knows our position. Our strikes on Russian oil refineries and other oil facilities are a response to Russia’s years-long campaign of terror against Ukraine’s energy sector. 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," he said.

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Zelenskyy’s remarks came after US President Donald Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin and announced a deal to secure diesel supplies from Russia, marking a shift in Washington’s pressure on Moscow over the war in Ukraine as the US seeks to address rising fuel prices ahead of the midterm elections. In a social media post on Friday, Trump said Russia would immediately supply more than 300,000 tonnes of diesel, followed by another 500,000 tonnes in November and 1 million tonnes “immediately thereafter”. He added that Russia would deliver another 3 million tonnes “within a short period of time”. The announcement came just a month after Trump signed a sweeping Russia sanctions law aimed at curbing Moscow’s oil and gas revenues, which help fund its war against Ukraine.

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