Trump and Putin agree on 4.8 million tonnes of diesel: sanctions on Russia loosen less than a month before the US elections

Just a month ago Donald Trump signed a new sanctions law against Russia - measures targeting Russian officials, banks and the tankers Moscow uses to get around existing restrictions. Now Trump has announced that after a phone call with Vladimir Putin he agreed that Russia will deliver millions of tonnes of diesel to the American and world markets.

Trump gave the figures himself: more than 300,000 tonnes right away, another 500,000 tonnes during November, then a million tonnes straight after that. He also announced an additional three million tonnes "in the short term", depending on the state and capacity of Russian refineries. In total, more than 4.8 million tonnes of diesel. The US Treasury quickly issued a temporary licence easing sanctions on part of the deliveries - for diesel loaded onto tankers by 9 October, valid until April 2027.

Diesel, not Ukraine, set the policy

They are not hiding the reason. Fuel prices in the US have jumped because of America and Israel's war with Iran and the supply disruptions. A gallon of diesel costs 6.23 dollars on average, and the price has risen by around 70 percent since the war began. "Lowering prices for Americans, especially for our great farmers, ranchers and truck drivers, is my top priority," Trump said. The administration had already tried releasing oil reserves and temporary tax breaks. It did not help enough. On 3 November Americans vote on control of Congress.

A reminder: the US banned imports of Russian oil and other energy products back in 2022, right after Russia invaded Ukraine. Now nobody is saying when the first tanker will arrive, or how much of the diesel will end up in America and how much on other markets. Only one thing is clear - the sanctions held until they started costing money at the petrol pump.

Zelensky: "Gifts for Putin will not bring peace"

The reaction from Kyiv came within hours. "Peace is never achieved through weakness," Volodymyr Zelensky wrote. "Any easing of sanctions against Russia without a clear and lasting de-escalation agreement is obvious weakness. It plays into Russia's hands, lets it kill more, fight longer and respect America even less." He added that Russia will "repay" the diesel with new terror, and called the licence for Moscow to sell petroleum products an investment in a war that should be ending, not dragging on.

The irony lies in the refineries. Trump's deal depends on how much diesel Russian refineries can produce - and those are exactly what Ukrainian strikes are hitting. Zelensky offered a trade: Ukraine will stop attacking Russian refineries if Russia stops destroying Ukraine's energy infrastructure. The proposal, he says, has already been handed to the American side.

On 9 October, before Trump's announcement, Zelensky received a US congressional delegation in Kyiv while an air raid alert over Russian drones was under way. They discussed air defence and faster production of missiles for Patriot systems. A few hours later, a message came from the White House pointing in the opposite direction.

The Balkans know this scene well: grand principles hold as long as they cost nothing. When sanctions loosen the moment fuel becomes an election issue, the question remains - what will the next sanctions Washington announces be worth?