US suspends Russian diesel sanctions after Trump and Putin call
The United States suspended temporary sanctions on Russian diesel following a telephone conversation between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, an announcement that contrasted sharply with simultaneous diplomatic warnings in Florida and a deadly missile strike in Zaporizhzhia, corriere.it reported.
The Washington-Moscow Diesel Arrangement
Donald Trump announced via Truth Social that Russia will immediately supply over 300 mila tonnellate di diesel to the American and global markets, followed by 500 mila tonnellate in November, one million tons shortly after, and another three million tons within a short period, according to corriere.it. The U.S. Treasury subsequently suspended temporary sanctions on Russian diesel, mirroring reporting from the New York Times regarding a maxi deal involving Lukoil as a signal to resume bilateral ties. The Kremlin confirmed the telephone call and its readiness to supply oil products, while presidential assistant Yuri Ushakov stated via Ria Novosti that Moscow’s core war objectives remain unchanged, as noted by la Repubblica. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, cited by Interfax, that during the conversation the Russian president showed himself to be very understanding regarding certain proposals from the U.S. side concerning de-escalation measures. The move is aimed at reducing fuel prices ahead of midterm elections, corriere.it reported.
The Miami Negotiations And Intelligence Ultimatum
While the energy deal was announced, delegations met at Jared Kushner’s Florida resort in Miami for eight hours of talks addressing a potential truce for energy infrastructure and grain cargo, corriere.it and ANSA reported. During these discussions, Witkoff and Kushner warned the Ukrainian team of the impending diesel sanctions removal because Kiev had ignored prior U.S. requests, ANSA detailed. The Financial Times and ANSA reported that Washington threatened to halt the sharing of vital intelligence information with Kiev if Ukrainian forces continued their attacks on Russian oil refineries. Ukrainian officials judged the demand to unilaterally halt attacks without pressuring Moscow to do so in return as unfair, according to informed sources. In a message posted on X, Witkoff described the Miami talks as productive, stating they had identified certain areas for further exploration and that the parties had agreed to continue diplomatic efforts.
Russian Strikes Kill Civilians in Zaporizhzhia
Hours after the diplomatic disclosures, Russian guided air strikes hit residential buildings in Zaporizhzhia, while la Repubblica and ANSA cited figures of eight to fifteen dead, including three children, alongside 16 injured—some serious—and 12 missing, as reported by Ivan Fedorov, co-chair of the regional defense council. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the attack on X, stating that Moscow was responding to the diesel sanctions relief with further terror and asserting that any pressure easing is interpreted by the Kremlin as a green light to bomb cities. Demonstrating Kiev’s immediate defiance, a senior Ukrainian official told the Financial Times that operations would continue, stating Bruceremo le raffinerie,
shortly before local authorities reported a Ukrainian strike on the Yug Rusi oil terminal in Rostov-on-Don.
EU Officials Reject US Energy Accommodation
European officials rejected the U.S.-Russia energy accommodation, warning of the hidden costs tied to hydrocarbon dependency. EU High Representative Kaja Kallas declared on social media, as reported by la Repubblica and ANSA, that stopping sanctions on Russian diesel finances Moscow’s war effort, pointing to over 80 civilian deaths from Russian attacks across two days and escalating hybrid actions against EU and NATO allies. Kallas added that EU foreign ministers intend to approve the broadest package of sanctions against Russia’s war machine since the conflict began. Meanwhile, European Commission representatives reiterated to ANSA that Europe knows the costs of Russian energy reliance and refuses to fuel the ongoing conflict.
Whether the threatened cutoff of American intelligence will compel Kiev to halt its refinery strikes, or if the impending European Union sanctions package will counteract the market impact of the unblocked Russian diesel shipments, remains unresolved.