Axios reveals new details about the background of Donald Trump’s agreement with Vladimir Putin to increase Russian diesel exports to the U.S. and international markets, directly linking the U.S. president’s decision to Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s refusal to halt Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries.
According to a U.S. official with direct knowledge of the discussions, Trump decided to proceed with the agreement with Putin after Kyiv ignored approximately six U.S. requests to halt strikes on Russian refineries.
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The agreement, which Trump himself announced, calls for the shipment of more than 300,000 metric tons of Russian diesel, as well as the easing of certain U.S. sanctions related to Russian energy exports. The announcement drew a strong reaction from Zelenskyy, who called it “unfair” and “dishonest,” arguing that it gives Moscow some financial breathing room while the war continues.
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“Zelenskyy is misreading the situation”
The U.S. official who spoke to Axios argued that Ukraine’s insistence on targeting Russian refineries has caused discontent in the White House. According to the same source, Zelenskyy “is misreading the situation,” as continuing the attacks is eroding the good relationship he had built with Trump over the past few months.
The Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy facilities have proven particularly effective, limiting Russia’s refining capacity and causing problems in the domestic fuel market. Moscow responded with restrictions on diesel exports, further straining the international market, which is already under pressure due to the war in Iran. The impact of these developments on fuel prices in the U.S. appears to have been a key factor for Trump.
According to Axios, the U.S. president had asked Kyiv to unilaterally halt attacks on Russian refineries, believing that these attacks were contributing to the rise in prices paid by American consumers.
Zelenskyy’s Proposal That Trump Rejected
Zelenskyy had proposed to Trump, as well as to U.S. envoys Steve Whitecoff and Jared Kushner, a reciprocal agreement on energy infrastructure.
Specifically, he had stated that Ukraine was prepared to halt attacks on Russian refineries, provided that Russia ceased its strikes against Ukrainian power plants.
This proposal was not accepted by Trump, as, according to the U.S. official, the U.S. president did not consider the two types of attacks to be equivalent and demanded that Kyiv halt the strikes without linking them to a corresponding commitment from Moscow.
The backdrop to the eight-hour talks in Miami
Tensions peaked during the talks held on Friday in Miami. Over the course of approximately eight hours of consultations, Steve Whitecoff and Jared Kushner informed the Ukrainian delegation that Donald Trump was going to speak with Vladimir Putin and that he plannedto lift sanctions on Russian diesel exports.
According to Axios, the American negotiators told the Ukrainians that the decision had been made after Kyiv refused to comply with Washington’s repeated calls to end theoperations at the refineries.
A Ukrainian official even claimed that during the discussion, a warning was issued that Trump could cut off the flow of U.S. intelligence to Ukraine if the same tactics continued. The U.S. side denies that such a threat was made.
According to the U.S. official’s account, Whitcomb and Kushner reiterated that the U.S. provides Ukraine with weapons and intelligence and argued that, within the framework of this cooperation, Kyiv should not take actions that burden American consumers. As the same source put it, the attacks on refineries “hurt Russia, but they also hurt the U.S.”
The agreement came as they discussed ending the war
The dispute over diesel fuel occurred at the same time that U.S. envoys had begun a new round of talks with Ukrainian and European officials regarding a possible agreement to endthe war.
The discussions in Miami focused on the security guarantees that the U.S., Europe, and NATO could provide to Ukraine as part of a future agreement. At the same time, new proposals on territorial issues were examined, as well as a broader postwar plan for Ukraine, which would include funding for reconstruction, the rebuilding of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and ways to address the budget deficits caused by the war.
Also on the table was a roadmap for Ukraine’s accession to the European Union, its future relationship with NATO, and the possibility of creating a new security framework between Europe and Russia.
Whitkov and Kushner also presented potential energy deals with Russia, which Washington believes could, on the one hand, lower international energy prices and, on the other, serve as an incentive for Moscow to make concessions in the peace talks. Axios
Putin Did Not Commit to Returning to Negotiations
Despite the agreement on diesel, however, Vladimir Putin did not commit to an immediate resumption of negotiations with Ukraine. During the approximately 90-minute phone call with Trump, the Russian president avoided giving a specific answer regarding a return to the negotiating table.
His foreign policy adviser, Yuri Ushakov, argued that the recent Ukrainian attacks on Moscow and other Russian cities during the Russian parliamentary elections“undermined the possibility of an immediate resumption of the negotiation process.” According to Usakov, Putin said that Moscow “will consider when negotiations can resume.”
Despite the renewed tension between Washington and Kyiv, Whitcomb and Kushner are considering traveling to both Moscow and Kyiv next week to continue discussions on the new U.S. plan.
The agreement on Russian diesel, however, adds a new front to the already difficult negotiations, as Ukraine believes that easing energy sanctions strengthens Russia economically, while the Trump administration is prioritizing keeping fuel prices down in the U.S. and, at the same time, attempting to use energy agreements as a bargaining chip against Moscow.
Source: protothema.gr
