Trump Defends Russian Diesel Deal Despite Backlash

WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump, in the face of sharp criticism from officials in Ukraine, Europe, and even his Republican party, defended his decision to allow Russian diesel exports and insisted an energy cease-fire between Kyiv and Moscow is in place despite a lack of confirmation from either side.

Speaking to reporters on the White House lawn on October 12, Trump maintained that the truce was in place even as Ukrainian officials reported further Russian strikes.

Asked whether the two sides had agreed to the cease-fire, Trump told reporters: “They agreed. You know why? Because I said, ‘You agree’ -- that's why. They agreed because I said they agreed, and that thing has to get settled.”

SEE ALSO:

House Republicans Move To Block Trump's Russia Diesel Deal

Asked by RFE/RL about reports of Russian violations of the agreement, Trump said he was “not sure about that,” adding that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin “have to get together and end that ridiculous war.”

Trump announced on social media on October 11 that both sides had agreed to an energy cease-fire effective immediately.

Moscow has yet to confirm the announcement, while Zelenskyy reportedly told Axios the proposal was “news for me.”

The US leader has in the past declared that the sides had agreed to cease attacks on energy sites, most recently on September 14, only to see Putin continue the attacks, ending any hopes of a lasting truce.

Later on October 12, Zelenskyy said Ukraine is willing to halt attacks on Russian refining operations if Moscow agrees to stop its strikes on Ukrainian energy systems as officials across Europe looked for clarity on the cease-fire.

Just hours after Trump's announcement, Russian drones hit a power plant in Kyiv and energy facilities in the city of Kharkiv, sowing further confusion on the situation.

"If Russia wants us to stop our long-range strikes against its oil refineries and oil exports, then Russia must stop its strikes against our energy system and critical infrastructure and stop killing our people," Zelenskyy said in a speech by video link to the Warsaw Security Forum on October 12.

Is Russia Preparing To Attack The Baltics?

Trump also defended an agreement on allowing diesel exports from Russia, which he first announced after a conversation with Putin on October 9.

He argued that Europe had continued buying Russian energy despite the war. While some European countries do still purchase Russian energy, natural gas and crude oil imports have fallen dramatically as the continent weans itself off of Russian supplies.

Trump has said that under the deal, the United States would immediately import 300,000 metric tons of Russian diesel, with millions more expected to follow.

As part of the move, the US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control issued a General License 135, authorizing transactions involving Russian diesel, including imports into the United States, through April 7, 2027.

The administration has presented the deal as a response to high fuel costs ahead of the November 3 midterm elections.

But the move has sparked a wave of criticism from Democrats and even some Republican officials, who warned it would embolden Putin to continue his war on Ukraine.

Trump dismissed the Republicans who criticized the deal as lawmakers who "can't really be serious.”

SEE ALSO:

Exclusive: A Russian Blueprint For A Cold, Dark Winter In Ukraine

A bipartisan group of seven senators on October 11 urged the administration to reverse its decision, warning that Russian energy revenue helps finance Moscow's war against Ukraine.

The US “should not provide Putin with a financial lifeline while Russia continues to kill Ukrainian civilians,” they said.

The statement was signed by Republican Senators Susan Collins, Thom Tillis, John Curtis, and Lisa Murkowski, along with Democrats Jeanne Shaheen, Richard Blumenthal, and Ron Wyden.

On October 12, another Republican Senator Jerry Moran of Kansas warned that allowing Russian diesel imports risked “erasing our leverage, damaging our credibility with allies, and emboldening our adversaries.”

Republican House Majority Whip Tom Emmer defended the president, calling the deal “another example of our president thinking out of the box” and describing it as another step toward resolving the war.

Energy analysts who spoke with RFE/RL questioned whether the additional supplies could significantly affect prices before the vote.

Mark Temnycky, a nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center, told RFE/RL that the announced 300,000 metric tons of diesel would amount to roughly half a day's US consumption, based on figures from the US Energy Information Administration.

SEE ALSO:

Former US Diplomat Fried Warns Mixed Signals Could Undercut Russia Sanctions

Temnycky questioned whether Russia could deliver the promised volumes, citing restrictions on production and exports following Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries.

He warned that easing sanctions without securing concessions from Moscow could weaken international pressure on Russia and provide Moscow with potential revenue and a political victory for Putin.

Ariel Cohen, managing director of energy, growth, and security at the International Tax and Investment Center, said Trump should use US leverage to secure a ceasefire rather than treat an energy agreement as a substitute for progress toward peace.

Cohen added that any energy truce should be reciprocal, covering Ukrainian power-generation facilities and electricity grids as well as Russian energy ports, pipelines, and refineries.

“It's either all energy infrastructure, including all the power generation and grid in Ukraine, versus in exchange for energy ports, energy pipelines, energy refineries in Russia,” he said.

William Taylor, a former US ambassador to Ukraine who served under President George W. Bush and during Trump's first administration, told RFE/RL that a cease-fire could not take effect without agreement from both sides.

Taylor said Zelenskyy had indicated his willingness to participate but that he had seen no evidence Putin had agreed to halt attacks.