President Donald Trump said Friday that he had reached an agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin for Russia to supply diesel fuel to the United States and global market. Trump said more than 300,000 tonnes would be released immediately, followed by 500,000 tonnes in November and 1 million tonnes afterward.
Trump said a further 3 million tonnes could be delivered within a short period, depending on the condition of Russian refineries. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the agreement a gift to Putin and said it was an investment in a war that should end rather than continue. Axios, citing a U.S. official, reported that Trump made the deal after Zelensky did not comply with repeated U.S. requests to stop attacks on Russian oil refineries. The reported agreement comes as U.S., Ukrainian and European officials discuss proposals to end the war.