Donald Trump agrees to lift sanctions and import Russian oil

President Donald Trump agreed to lift sanctions and import nearly two million tons of Russian oil to lower domestic fuel costs, after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky ignored repeated requests to stop striking Moscow energy refineries.

The agreement between President Trump and Vladimir Putin was reached as the American leader seeks to shore up his ratings amid rising fuel costs ahead of the mid-term elections. According to a report by Axios, Trump reportedly decided to seal the agreement with the Russian dictator after Zelensky ignored six pleas to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries which were raising prices, especially for diesel in the United States. A US official told Axios: ‘Zelensky is misreading the room.

Consequences and Reactions to the Pact

The diesel pact stunned Kyiv, with the Ukrainian leader accusing the US president of ‘weakness’ by caving in to Putin.

US-RUSSIA OIL DEAL: Trump Eases Diesel Sanctions | Putin Deal Sparks Ukraine Backlash | N18G

It brings the total to almost 90 civilians killed by Russia in three days. A heartbroken woman, Natalia, said: ‘When I ran to my mother, she was still gasping for air. She had fallen face down, and her entire face was shattered. I couldn’t reach her. There was debris everywhere.’ Her mother died in the brutal Putin air strike.

Strikes on the Yug Rusi Oil Hub

There were fires at the key exporting hub with a 3.5 million-ton annual capacity after a 50-drone swarm. Ukrainian officials defiantly threatened to keep striking Russian oil facilities.