Trump Demands Ukraine Oust Zelenskyy Over Diesel Prices — SkimNews
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- Trump on October 10 said Ukraine should get a new president who 'can make a deal,' blaming Zelenskyy for not ending the war and for U.S. diesel prices rather than the U.S.-led war in Iran that he said is elevating world energy prices.
- Trump announced on October 9 a deal with Putin for Russia to supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel immediately, 500,000 tons in November, 1 million tons shortly after, and an additional 3 million tons 'within a short period of time' thereafter.
- Zelenskyy said Russia responded to the lifting of diesel-export sanctions by dropping five glide bombs on residential buildings in Zaporizhzhia, killing at least 20 people including three children and wounding at least 18.
- Sweden's PM Ulf Kristersson and Germany's government both expressed dismay at the diesel deal; the EU was set to adopt 1,600 sanctions listings on October 12 targeting Russia's military-industrial complex.
- Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski questioned whether Russia can deliver, citing embassy reports of fuel shortages in Moscow and claims Ukraine has damaged about half of Russia's refining capacity.
- The diesel deal was 'not tied to anything under discussion' between the U.S. and Ukrainian teams meeting in Miami with envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, a senior Ukrainian official told AP, after which the delegation left Florida for Kyiv.
- An AP-NORC poll published October 1 found Americans disapprove of Trump's handling of Iran and blame him for higher prices.
Why it matters: The diesel deal was struck one day after Trump signed sweeping Russia sanctions aimed at cutting Moscow's war revenues, handing Russia fresh export cash. AP-NORC polling shows Americans blame Trump for the prices the deal is meant to ease; Zelenskyy says Russia's response was bombing Zaporizhzhia hours later, killing at least 20.
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