Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky criticized the Russian diesel supply deal reached between US President Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, the Chosun Ilbo reported on October 17. The easing of US sanctions on Russia continues to ripple through allied capitals.
The Chosun Ilbo reported on October 17 that Zelensky called the Trump-Putin ‘diesel deal’ inappropriate. We could not locate the original remarks, so the wording rests on that outlet’s summary. Earlier, Axios reported on October 9 that Zelensky described the deal as ‘not fair and not honest’.
광고 문의 · 300×250The background is as follows. According to TIME, Trump said on October 9 that Russia agreed to supply more than 4.8 million tons of diesel to global markets: 300,000-plus tons at first, 500,000 tons in November, 1 million tons right after, and another 3 million tons depending on Russia’s refining capacity. The US Treasury issued a temporary license allowing transactions in Russian-origin diesel through April 7, 2027.
Axios reported that Zelensky likened the deal to a birthday present for Putin and called it ‘Alaska No. 2’, a reference to the 2025 Anchorage summit. The timing also rankled. Trump’s announcement came while envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were meeting Ukrainian negotiators and delegates from Germany, France, Britain, the EU and NATO in Miami, and Zelensky said his team told him only about an hour beforehand.
Zelensky said he would have backed easing Russian energy sanctions if it were part of an energy ceasefire covering attacks on energy facilities over the winter. He nonetheless said Ukraine still needs the United States to mediate, signaling he does not want a rupture with Washington. Axios said Trump declined to comment on the criticism and said he was happy with the deal.
There is also a dispute inside the United States. TIME reported that seven senators from both parties asked Trump to reverse course immediately, and Senator Thom Tillis warned of deadly consequences and questioned whether the move follows the law. Critics say it may conflict with a 2022 law banning Russian energy imports. Experts quoted by TIME said the volumes are too small to offset the shortage tied to the Strait of Hormuz blockade.
AAA put the average US diesel price at $6.28 a gallon on October 11, down from a September 22 peak of $6.53. On October 11 Trump posted that there was an ‘energy ceasefire’, but Zelensky said it was news to him and Russian strikes continued, TIME reported. The episode is likely to test the credibility of US mediation and the response of European allies.
