Trump-Putin diesel deal derailed peace process, Czech President says
Photo: Czech President Petr Pavel (Getty Images)
A ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine was very close—until US President Donald Trump lifted sanctions on Russian diesel fuel, according to Czech President Petr Pavel.
The Czech President notes that coordinated US and European sanctions targeting Russian oil, oligarchs, and other industries have kept Russia under pressure.
However, the deal announced by Trump earlier this month, under which Russia will supply the US with hundreds of thousands of metric tons of diesel fuel, has given the Kremlin "time to breathe."
"It will be much harder now. Russia uses this momentum to get out of pressure, and it’s kind of a moral boost for them," Pavel believes.
The Czech President expresses words of support for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has recently faced criticism from Trump.
He reminds listeners that it was not Ukraine that attacked Russia, but the other way around.
According to Pavel, Trump is currently demonstrating a more open approach toward Russia than any European leader.
"To some extent, he may be attracted by Vladimir Putin as a leader with authority, but I don’t think that … President Trump sees it from a position of a struggle between democracy and autocracies because he’s looking at it simply from the point of view of economic prosperity for the United States," the Czech President emphasizes.
At the same time, Pavel does not rule out that European countries might purchase Russian oil in the future, but adds that it will take time before that happens.
For that to happen, he says, Russia must become a country that respects the sovereignty and borders of other nations.
US President Donald Trump stated that peace in Ukraine had never been so close.
According to him, the US and Russia are moving closer to resolving the war in Ukraine. The parties are now closer to this than ever before.
According to media reports, the US President wants Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin to sign a peace agreement at the G20 summit in Florida in December. The negotiations may be accompanied by pressure on Ukraine.
At the same time, Trump stated that he would not tighten sanctions against Russia.
