| |
Trump
Thanks
Putin
For
Russian
Diesel
Fuel
Import
Deal,
Makes
Call for
Zelenskyy’s
Ouster
Patricia
Romero -
International
-
Politics
Tell Us
Worldwide
News
Network
WASHINGTON/KYIV
-
President
Donald
Trump’s
agreement
to open
U.S. and
global
markets
to
Russian
diesel
has
triggered
a
confrontation
with
Congress
and
European
allies,
while
his
demand
for
Ukraine
to
replace
President
Volodymyr
Zelenskyy
has
deepened
tensions
with
Kyiv.
Trump’s
subsequent
announcement
of an
immediate
energy
ceasefire
offered
no
details
on how
the
arrangement
would
work or
be
enforced.
The
dispute
exposes
a
fundamental
clash
over
Washington’s
approach
to the
war:
Trump is
seeking
Russian
fuel to
ease
pressure
on
American
consumers,
while
Ukraine
and its
supporters
warn
that the
resulting
revenue
could
help
finance
the
military
attacking
Ukrainian
cities.
The
administration’s
sanctions
relief
also
cuts
against
legislation
Trump
signed
last
month to
increase
pressure
on
Moscow’s
energy
business.
Trump
announced
Friday
that
Russian
President
Vladimir
Putin
had
agreed
to
supply
more
than
300,000
tons of
diesel
immediately,
followed
by
500,000
tons in
November
and
another
1
million
tons
shortly
afterward.
Trump
said an
additional
3
million
tons
would
follow,
although
he tied
that
shipment
to the
condition
of
Russia’s
refineries.
The
proposed
supplies
are
intended
for both
American
and
global
markets,
not
exclusively
for the
United
States.
The
Treasury
Department
subsequently
issued a
temporary
license
easing
sanctions
on
qualifying
Russian
diesel
deliveries
through
April
2027.
The
measure
is a
targeted
relaxation
of
energy
restrictions,
rather
than a
repeal
of the
broader
sanctions
imposed
over
Russia’s
invasion
of
Ukraine.
“Lower
prices
for
Americans,
especially
our
Great
Farmers,
Ranchers,
and
Truckers,
is my
Greatest
Priority,”
Trump
wrote in
announcing
the
agreement.
He later
publicly
thanked
Putin.
The
announcement
comes
weeks
before
the U.S.
midterm
elections,
with
high
fuel
costs
placing
pressure
on the
administration.
But
whether
the deal
will
deliver
substantial,
lasting
relief
remains
uncertain.
Energy
specialists
interviewed
by The
Associated
Press
said
redirecting
Russian
diesel
could
rearrange
existing
trade
flows
without
meaningfully
increasing
overall
supply
or
lowering
prices.
Washington
and
Moscow
also
left
important
commercial
questions
unanswered.
The
White
House
did not
immediately
explain
who
would
purchase
the fuel
or when
it would
reach
consumers,
while
the
Kremlin
confirmed
its
willingness
to
supply
petroleum
products
without
specifying
the
volumes
Trump
announced.
The
confrontation
intensified
Saturday
when
Trump
responded
to
Zelenskyy’s
criticism
by
saying
it was
“time
for
Ukraine
to get a
new
president.”
He
accused
the
Ukrainian
leader
of
creating
problems
for
global
energy
markets
by
continuing
attacks
on
Russian
refineries
and
demanded
that
those
strikes
stop.
“He’d
better
damn
well
stop,”
Trump
told
reporters,
before
calling
for “a
new
leader
who can
make a
deal.”
Zelenskyy
argues
that
easing
restrictions
on
Russian
energy
exports
gives
Moscow
additional
money to
sustain
its war.
He
described
the
diesel
agreement
as an
investment
in a
conflict
that
should
be
ended,
not
prolonged,
and
accused
Washington
of
treating
Ukraine
unfairly
while
negotiations
continued.
Trump’s
intervention
also
raises a
practical
issue
his
remarks
did not
resolve:
Ukraine
remains
under
martial
law,
which
suspends
elections.
His call
for a
leadership
change
therefore
offers
no clear
electoral
route
for
replacing
Zelenskyy
while
the war
continues.
On
Sunday,
Trump
declared
on Truth
Social
that
Russia
and
Ukraine
had
agreed
to an
“energy
ceasefire,”
effective
immediately.
“Do not
break
it!” he
wrote.
The
announcement
did not
specify
its
duration,
the
facilities
covered,
monitoring
arrangements
or
consequences
for
violations.
Zelenskyy
had said
Ukraine
was
prepared
to halt
attacks
on
Russian
refineries
if
Moscow
stopped
striking
Ukrainian
energy
infrastructure.
He
stressed
that
de-escalation
must be
reciprocal
and
backed
by real
guarantees.
That
position
establishes
Kyiv’s
willingness
to
negotiate
a
limited
truce;
it does
not, by
itself,
establish
that a
detailed
agreement
has been
concluded
and
implemented.
Moscow
had not
publicly
commented
on the
purported
ceasefire
in the
reporting
available
Sunday.
Zelenskyy
also
accused
Russia
of
striking
a power
plant
after
Trump’s
announcement,
underscoring
the gap
between
the
president’s
declaration
and
evidence
of
compliance
on the
ground.
The
humanitarian
stakes
remained
immediate.
Zelenskyy
said
Sunday
that the
death
toll
from
Russia’s
heavy
attack
on
Zaporizhzhia
the
previous
day had
risen to
23,
including
four
children.
That
attack
preceded
Trump’s
ceasefire
announcement.
The
diesel
agreement
has
drawn
opposition
from
both
parties
in
Washington.
A
bipartisan
group of
senators
demanded
that the
administration
reverse
course,
arguing
that
allowing
Russian
energy
imports
conflicts
with the
import
ban
Congress
enacted
in 2022
to
prevent
American
money
from
financing
Moscow’s
war.
The
senators
also
accused
the
administration
of
failing
to
consult
Congress
or
provide
the
justification
required
by law.
Their
objections
set up a
dispute
over the
administration’s
authority;
they do
not
constitute
a
judicial
ruling
that the
agreement
is
unlawful.
Rep.
Brian
Fitzpatrick,
R-Pa.,
announced
plans
for
legislation
to block
the
sanctions
rollback.
Republican
Rep. Don
Bacon of
Nebraska
also
backed
an
effort
to
prevent
the
move,
demonstrating
that
resistance
extends
beyond
Trump’s
Democratic
opponents.
European
Union
foreign
policy
chief
Kaja
Kallas
likewise
rejected
easing
pressure
on
Moscow,
warning
that
suspending
sanctions
would
provide
additional
revenue
for
Russia’s
war.
“This is
not the
time to
ease
pressure
on
Russia,
and
Europe
won’t,”
she
said.
The
immediate
test is
implementation:
whether
the
promised
diesel
arrives,
whether
its sale
materially
reduces
fuel
costs,
and
whether
Russia
and
Ukraine
actually
stop
attacking
each
other’s
energy
infrastructure.
For now,
the
administration
has
announced
a
commercial
opening
and a
ceasefire
claim,
but
significant
delivery
questions,
legal
objections
and
enforcement
details
remain
unresolved.
This
Tell Us
USA News
Network
report
is
produced
in part
by Ai
and can
make
mistakes.
Please
contact
and let
us know
of any
errors
you may
find.
info@tellususa.com
|
I
HI TECH NEWS
I
SPORTS
I
