Putin's diesel deal with Trump planted 'bomb' under US-Ukraine ties – Ukrainian analyst
Photo: Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin (RBC-Ukraine collage)
The so-called diesel deal between the United States and Russia was a planned provocation by Moscow aimed at undermining US-Ukraine relations, Political analyst Volodymyr Fesenko said in a comment to RBC-Ukraine.
The Kremlin’s trap
According to the expert, Moscow’s goal was not merely to give Donald Trump a symbolic gift ahead of the November 3 US midterm congressional elections. Russia’s underlying plan was far more dangerous.
“This deal effectively plants a bomb under relations between Ukraine and the United States. The idea is that either the US forces Ukraine to stop striking Russian oil refineries, or, if we refuse, a crisis in US-Ukraine relations is essentially guaranteed. Unfortunately, this has worked,” Fesenko stressed.
Ukraine’s position
The political analyst emphasized that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Ukraine’s negotiating position are entirely logical, rational and understandable: Ukraine is ready to stop striking Russian oil refineries only if Russia stops attacking Ukrainian energy facilities.
However, Fesenko noted that never happened.
What is the diesel deal
In early October, Trump unexpectedly announced that he had reached a “diesel deal” with Putin. The US president struck an agreement with the Russian leader to supply Russian fuel to the United States. Trump presented the arrangement as a way to address rising diesel prices in the US.
The deal came as a surprise to Ukraine. Trump blamed Ukraine for the increase in US diesel prices, claiming that they had risen because Ukraine was attacking Russian oil refineries.
After the diesel deal, Trump also unexpectedly announced an energy ceasefire. This, too, came as a surprise to Ukraine. Nevertheless, Ukraine agreed to the arrangement and refrained from attacking Russian oil refineries for three days.
Russia, however, continued its strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, saying that the proposed ceasefire lacked any specific details.
Earlier, Czech President Petr Pavel said that Trump and Putin’s diesel deal had derailed the peace process.
Meanwhile, according to Western media reports, the US expects Putin to “repay” the diesel deal with concessions on Ukraine.
