Putin Nears US Reset Without Ukraine Concessions — SkimNews
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- Putin is closer than ever to normalizing relations with Washington without compromising on Ukraine, exactly one year after Trump imposed significant sanctions on Russia's two largest oil companies.
- Trump on Oct. 9 announced the US would buy Russian diesel with no concessions from Putin in return, then declared "Russia, frankly, has been fine on Ukraine" while vilifying Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
- The Trump administration pressed Ukraine to stop striking Russian oil refineries — described as Kyiv's "most powerful lever" — and suspended Russia sanctions Trump had just signed into law.
- Putin cultivated Trump's "long-evident affinity" through a red-carpet Alaska welcome and other gestures, even as a planned Budapest summit collapsed and Trump conceded Putin "might just be playing him."
- The diesel deal was in part a political calculation to lower fuel prices ahead of the midterm elections, reflecting both domestic incentives and Trump's personal rapport with Putin.
Why it matters: The US has unilaterally disarmed Ukraine's most effective wartime pressure tools — suspending sanctions Trump had just signed, buying Russian diesel with no strings, and pressing Kyiv to halt refinery strikes — all while Putin offers no concessions. Ukraine loses bargaining leverage in any future negotiation; Russia gains economic relief and diplomatic normalization without paying for it.
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