Trump's Russian diesel deal splits Washington from Kyiv as he calls for a new Ukrainian president
Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin held a 90-minute call on October 9 that the Kremlin described as substantive and friendly, after which Trump announced a deal for Russia to release 300,000 tonnes of diesel immediately, 500,000 tonnes in November and 1mn tonnes after that, with the US Treasury issuing a temporary general licence suspending sanctions on Russian diesel until April 7. Ukraine's delegation in Miami for talks with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner learned during negotiations that Washington was about to lift the sanctions, cut its trip short, and Ukrainian drones later struck the Yug Rusi oil terminal in Rostov-on-Don. Trump said on October 10 that it was time for Ukraine to get a new president, saying Zelenskiy had failed to end the war.
Why it matters: The diesel waiver makes sanctions relief the currency of US-Russia diplomacy, testing whether Washington's energy and Ukraine policies can still be reconciled.