US Democrats on Trump’s diesel deal with Putin: “betrayal of Ukraine”

Senate Democratic leaders, headed by Chuck Schumer, sharply condemned President Donald Trump’s agreement with Vladimir Putin on supplies of Russian diesel fuel. In a joint statement they call it a “total betrayal of Ukraine, our European allies and US national security” and describe a desperate deal with a “murderous dictator”.

On Friday Trump announced a deal with Moscow under which Russia is to supply at least 300,000 tonnes of diesel to the American and world markets. “I have just concluded a very successful negotiation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, under which it was agreed that Russia will immediately deliver more than 300,000 tonnes of diesel fuel to the American and world markets, another 500,000 tonnes during November and 1,000,000 tonnes immediately after that,” he wrote on the social network Truth Social.

He also said that, depending on the state of Russian refineries, Russia is to deliver a further 3 million tonnes of diesel in the near future.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, reacting to the agreement, said that easing sanctions on Russia without a clear and lasting de-escalation agreement is a sign of obvious weakness. According to Zelensky, such a deal will only allow Russia to kill more people and cause greater damage.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz