Zelensky criticizes relief of sanctions on Russian diesel: “Freakness”

O Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said today that the relief of sanctions on Russian diesel announced by the United States is a sign of “weakness” and will contribute to Vladimir Putin “stopping the war for longer”.

“Any relaxation of sanctions against Russia, without a clear and lasting settlement of clearance, is a clear weakness. This plays in favor of Russia — allowing it to kill more, to wage war for longer, to respect even less America and to cause even greater losses and damage to the world,” Zelensky published on social networks.

President Donald Trump announced today on the Truth Social network that Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin committed to providing several million tons of diesel “for the American and world markets” over several months after a “very fruitful discussion”.

Trump said that the “transcendental” agreement with Putin allows Russia to provide “immediately” more than 300,000 tons of diesel fuel to the US and global market, “another 500,000 tons during the month of November and 1,000,000 tons soon thereafter.”.

Depending on the state of Russian refineries, Trump explained in a veiled reference to Ukrainian attacks on Moscow’s energy infrastructure, Russia is expected to deliver “in a short period of time” three million tons of diesel.

As Russia is suffering sanctions on its hydrocarbon exports, the U.S. Treasury Department has immediately clarified that it has granted a provisional authorisation for this placing on the market.

Zelensky received today a bipartisan delegation from representatives of the U.S. Congress in Kyiv, who reportedly asked “what is needed to end the war?”

“The answer must be firm. There needs to be sanctions under Lindsey Graham's bill, support for Ukraine in protecting lives and pressure on Russia because of its war. And today there was a conversation between the leaders of America and Russia. A conversation that leads to something different”, stressed in its publication.

“ Recently, there has been a European decision to suspend sanctions against the Russian oligarchs. Since then, Russian attacks and people's suffering have only increased. Just last week, there was a brutal attack with Russian missiles on a residential building in Pryluky, air bombs were launched on Kramatorsk — hitting ordinary urban buses — and there were constant attacks on Kyiv's energy infrastructure and vital infrastructure in Dnipro, Kharkiv, Odessa and our other cities. Dozens of people were killed and hundreds were injured,” said the Ukrainian President.

“ The Russians are compensating for their inability to achieve their goals on the battlefield with this kind of terror. This year Russia is weaker on the battlefield than at any other time in the war. That's why Putin bets on terror. That is why he bets on attempts to close behind-the-scenes agreements to ensure some relief from pressure on Russia in order to gain more time and more opportunities for war,” he said.

“Peace is never reached by weakness,” he stressed.

Within a few weeks of the November mid-term elections in the United States, rising fuel prices became one of the biggest criticisms of Donald Trump, who could lose control of Congress to Democrats.

“ My top priority is to reduce prices for Americans, especially for our big farmers, cattlemen and truckers. This is a very big and important announcement,” Trump added in his message.

Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February 2022, with the argument of protecting the pro-Russian separatist minorities in the east and de-nazifying the neighbouring country, independent since 1991 – after the disintegration of the former Soviet Union – and which has been moving away from Moscow's space of influence and approaching Europe and the West.

At diplomatic level, Russia has so far rejected any prolonged ceasefire and demands, in order to put an end to the conflict, that Ukraine give it at least four regions – Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporijia – in addition to the Crimean peninsula, annexed in 2014, and forever renounce membership of NATO (Organisation of the Atlantic-North Treaty, Western Defence Block).