Donald Trump announces that Ukraine and Russia have agreed not to attack their respective energy infrastructures, the day after Kiev was rebuked from his Irish golf course in Doonbeg for persistently targeting Moscow's refineries. "Ukraine has agreed not to strike Russian energy targets. Russia has agreed to do the same!", wrote the tycoon in a post on Truth, convinced that "the increase in the price of diesel worldwide" was "mainly caused by the war between Russia and Ukraine, not by Iran".
The midterm elections are looming, and The Donald has adopted the reading already exposed in recent days by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on the increase in fuel prices in the USA as a consequence of the Ukrainian attacks on Russian crude oil refining plants. Diesel in America hit an average of $6.23 per gallon, an enormous amount compared to around $3.8 at the end of February, shortly before the US and Israel attacked Iran.
Kiev is ready for a truce but asks for guarantees because, Volodymr Zelensky explained on Telegram, "it is not sure that Russia has the will to respect any agreement". “If partners are willing to guarantee that Russia will stop targeting our power grid, our other energy infrastructure, critical infrastructure and the flow of food, we, of course, are ready to guarantee a corresponding cessation of our attacks,” he continued, adding that, as expected, “we expect partners to provide concrete details.”
The leader of Kiev, in recent days, had asked for a stop to attacks on energy infrastructures in view of the winter: Russia had rejected the proposal, while it rejoiced at Trump's request for Kiev to strike other targets rather than the refineries. "Of course, we can only welcome any requests to the Kiev regime to stop attacks on peaceful economic infrastructure," Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov commented. Sources close to the Kremlin, writes the Financial Times, now say that the tsar is reluctant to reach an agreement before the winter, believing that attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure could increase pressure on Kiev to make concessions.
Last week Trump said he had a "great conversation" with Putin, claiming he wants to reach a deal to end the war in Ukraine.
“He wants to reach an agreement and, if Zelensky wanted to do it too, that would be a great thing,” Trump commented to journalists. Also last week, Zelensky said he was willing to meet Putin at the G20 summit, scheduled for December at Trump's resort in Doral (Miami), but the Kremlin immediately ruled out the possibility while opening up the possibility of a meeting with US mediation in October.
The tycoon's announcement on the energy truce came as oil prices continue to rise dramatically in the seventh month of the United States' conflict with Iran, with Brent crude close to $110 a barrel. Trump reiterated that the conflict with Iran will end immediately after the mid-term vote and that gasoline prices, a very sensitive issue for US consumers, will fall on the domestic front.
Sanctions extended to Moscow but for only 7 days, 'more time is needed'
“In order to give Member States more time to thoroughly examine the renewal proposals, Coreper has decided to extend the scheme for a period of 7 days, until midnight on Tuesday 22 September. The legal procedures necessary to implement this decision will now be completed.” The Irish presidency made this known in relation to individual sanctions against Russia. The deadline was set for tomorrow, under penalty of removal from the blacklist for almost 3000 people.
"The consultations will continue and it is expected that further discussions will be held in due course within Coreper: the renewal of the insertions in the lists is essential to continue to weaken the Russian war machine and maintain pressure on those natural and legal persons who support it, favor it and benefit from it", says a spokesperson. "This is a priority for the Presidency."
