WorldPosted at: Oct 10 2026 6:10PM


Trump struck diesel deal with Putin after Zelensky ignored request to stop attacks on Russian refineries, says US official

Washington, Oct 10 (UNI) US President Donald Trump decided to strike a diesel supply deal with Russia after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky ignored repeated US requests to stop attacking Russian oil refineries, a US official with direct knowledge of the matter told Axios.
The decision has triggered fresh tensions between Washington and Kyiv, threatening to undermine the Trump administration's latest diplomatic push to end the war.
"Zelensky is misreading the room. By continuing to hit refineries, he is eroding the goodwill that he has built with Trump over the last six months," the US official said.
Zelensky, who criticised the agreement in an earlier interview with Axios, said he had been blindsided by the announcement and described it as "not fair and not honest" and an unwarranted gift to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries in recent months have disrupted Russia's energy sector and contributed to an energy crisis.
Moscow imposed a ban on diesel exports in response, adding pressure to global fuel markets already strained by the war involving Iran.
The US official said Trump wanted Ukraine to halt its refinery strikes unilaterally because the attacks were contributing to high petrol prices in the United States.
Trump did not consider the Ukrainian strikes equivalent to Russian attacks on Ukraine's power grid, the official added.
Zelensky had told Trump and US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner that Kyiv was prepared to stop targeting Russian oil refineries if Moscow halted attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure.
During eight hours of talks in Miami on Friday, Witkoff and Kushner informed Ukrainian negotiators that Trump was expected to speak with Putin and ease sanctions on Russian diesel exports.
The US delegation said the decision followed Kyiv's repeated refusal to stop strikes that Washington believed were hurting American consumers.
A Ukrainian official claimed that Witkoff and Kushner had threatened to cut off US intelligence sharing if Ukraine continued to disregard Washington's requests.
The US official denied that any such threat had been made, saying the envoys had instead emphasised that Washington remained a strong partner providing Ukraine with weapons and intelligence.
Ukraine should avoid actions that hurt American consumers, the envoys said, according to the US official.
"The attacks on the refineries cause pain in Russia, but it causes pain for the US, too," the official added.
The dispute emerged after what the US described as constructive talks between American mediators, Ukrainian negotiators and European diplomats in Miami.
Discussions focused on security guarantees that the US, Europe and NATO could provide Ukraine under a potential peace agreement.
The parties also considered new proposals on territorial arrangements and a post-war package for Ukraine, including funding for reconstruction, rebuilding its military and addressing wartime budget deficits. Other topics included a roadmap for Ukraine's accession to the European union and its future relationship with NATO.
Witkoff and Kushner also raised the possibility of a post-war security framework involving Europe and Russia that could be acceptable to both sides.
The US official said the envoys briefed Ukrainian and European representatives on potential energy agreements with Moscow that Washington hopes could lower fuel prices and encourage Russia to make concessions in peace negotiations.
Witkoff and Kushner are considering travelling to Moscow and Kyiv next week to discuss peace proposals, although the fallout from the diesel agreement could affect those plans.
"Putin is hitting [Ukraine] hard but we think he is open to [Ukraine] discussion on ending the war. We want to work on [Ukraine] new proposal that will be good enough for him in order to get him to stop," the US official said.
However, Putin did not commit to resuming peace talks during a 90-minute telephone conversation with Trump, according to Russian foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov.
Ushakov told reporters that Ukrainian strikes on Moscow and other cities during Russia's parliamentary elections had "thwarted the possibility of an immediate resumption of the negotiation process".
"The president said, we will think about when these negotiations can be resumed," Ushakov added.
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Tags: #Trump struck diesel deal with Putin after Zelensky ignored request to stop attacks on Russian refineries# says US official
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