US President Donald Trump on Tuesday defended a deal allowing Russian diesel shipments into global markets, saying the fuel was intended to ease high energy prices rather than supply the United States, as lawmakers from both parties criticised the arrangement and Ukraine accused Moscow of violating a proposed energy ceasefire.
Trump announced on October 9 that Russia would supply more than 300,000 tonnes of diesel, followed by another 500,000 tonnes in November and 1 million tonnes “immediately thereafter”. He also cited a further 3 million tonnes expected within a short period, depending on the condition of Russian diesel refineries.
To facilitate the shipments, the US Treasury Department issued a temporary licence easing sanctions on Russian diesel shipments to global markets until April 7, 2027. The move came as diesel prices surged amid supply disruptions linked to the Iran war, ahead of congressional midterm elections in November.
“That's a diesel deal. Not for us. That's being released into the world,” Trump told reporters on Tuesday, arguing that the shipments would help ease high prices in global markets.
The arrangement drew criticism from a bipartisan group of US senators, who wrote to Trump on Tuesday calling it a “gift to our adversary and a betrayal of our allies” and urging him to rescind it.
The senators said allowing Russian diesel into global markets would provide little relief to American consumers while giving Russian President Vladimir Putin additional revenue to finance the war in Ukraine.
“It will have a negligible impact on fuel prices, but the revenues the Kremlin will receive from this agreement will undoubtedly finance its desired war of attrition and advance its security cooperation with China, Iran, and North Korea,” they said.
The lawmakers also pointed to the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, which Congress passed last month and Trump signed into law. They said the legislation was intended to increase economic pressure on Russia and countries supporting its war effort.
Trump also said Washington continued to share intelligence with Ukraine and was working with both Kyiv and Moscow to end the war.
“No, we haven't. We help them,” he said when asked whether the United States had stopped sharing intelligence with Ukraine.
Asked why he believed Putin wanted to end the conflict more than Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump said his experience in negotiations informed his assessment.
“They both want it to end, and they don't know how to get to that point. There's a lot of hatred there between the two of them. We're going to get them there,” he said.
Trump’s comments came amid fresh accusations over a proposed energy ceasefire between Moscow and Kyiv. Zelenskyy said on Tuesday that Ukraine had refrained from striking Russian oil refineries and energy infrastructure for two days after Trump announced the proposed pause, but Russia had continued its attacks.
“Ukraine has not carried out strikes on Russian oil refineries or the energy sector in general for the two days since the American President announced an energy ceasefire. But Russia did not heed the American President,” Zelenskyy said in a post on X.
He said Russian forces had launched more than 100 weapons, including drones and ballistic missiles, from Monday evening through Tuesday. Several struck civilian and critical infrastructure across 19 Ukrainian regions, despite Ukrainian forces intercepting many of the incoming weapons.
Asked whether Russia had violated the proposed ceasefire, Trump declined to make an immediate assessment. “I'll let you know about that later,” he said, adding that both sides were continuing to attack each other.
Putin, meanwhile, said that proposed Russian supplies of oil and petroleum products to the United States and global markets would benefit the world economy. The Russian Foreign Ministry said the issue was discussed during a telephone conversation between Putin and Trump on Friday, which also covered Ukraine and Iran.