Trump-Putin Diesel Deal Squeezes Ukraine and Europe — SkimNews
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- Trump struck the October 9 deal allowing Russia to sell just under six million barrels of diesel (roughly 1.5 days of US demand) — directly contradicting a sanctions law he signed in September targeting nations that import Russian oil and gas.
- The announcement blindsided a Ukrainian and European delegation meeting envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Miami over pre-winter de-escalation proposals; the talks ended a day early with no agreement.
- Putin secured the economic half of an "energy truce" — sanctions relief on Russian energy — without committing to the military half; Russia struck a Ukrainian power plant shortly after Trump announced a ceasefire both sides said they had not agreed to.
- Trump told Ukraine on October 10 to "get a new leader" and has reportedly threatened to cut intelligence sharing and block weapons sales if Kyiv continues its refinery strike campaign, which has reduced Russian refining capacity by up to 60%.
- EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said suspending sanctions on Russian diesel gives Moscow more revenues to wage war, but Europe's deepening dependence on US energy imports limits how hard the EU can push back.
- Zelensky reiterated his September 22 proposal that Ukraine would halt refinery strikes only if Russia stops attacking Ukrainian energy infrastructure — a conditional freeze Trump had initially endorsed before pivoting to Putin's position.
Why it matters: Ukraine faces a more painful winter and a harder path to any settlement as Trump gives Putin sanctions relief without reciprocal military concessions; Europe's growing reliance on US energy imports undermines the EU's ability to backfill the gap, leaving Kyiv more isolated than at any point since the full-scale invasion.
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