Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused US President Donald Trump's team of using the meeting with the Ukrainian delegation in Florida while negotiating with Vladimir Putin about Russian diesel supplies to the United States. He described the actions as dishonest in a telephone interview with Axios.
According to Zelensky, Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff proposed the meeting to discuss new American ideas for ending the war. The Ukrainian delegation has spoken with Witkoff and Jared Kushner, but according to the Ukrainian President, the US side has not given any indication that it is preparing an agreement with Russia to purchase millions of tons of diesel fuel.
About an hour before Trump's official statement, Ukrainian negotiators were informed that he was planning a conversation with Putin and may announce the lifting of sanctions. “This is not fair, because we were trying to build our relationship in the best way“, Zelensky said.
The Russian Diesel Deal
On Friday, Trump announced that after a phone call with Putin, he had agreed to supply Russian diesel to the US and world markets. According to the parameters he published, Russia should deliver more than 300,000 tons immediately, another 500,000 tons in November, 1 million tons after that and an additional 3 million tons in the short term.
Following the announcement, the US Treasury Department, through the Office of Foreign Assets Control, known as OFAC, issued General License No. 135. It allows operations for the sale, delivery, unloading and import of diesel fuel of Russian origin until April 17, 2027.
Zelensky said he would support easing energy sanctions only if it was part of an agreement to stop attacks on the energy infrastructure of Ukraine and Russia. Instead, he said, Washington had not received any concessions from Moscow. He described the decision as a “gift to Putin“ and compared it to “Alaska number two“.
Kyiv expects full report
The Ukrainian president suggested that allowing the export of Russian diesel could be related to a planned visit by Trump envoys to Russia. "It seems you are buying this meeting," Zelensky said, adding that he still does not know whether this was actually the US side's goal.
Zelensky said he would demand a full report from the Ukrainian negotiating team on the talks in Florida. He did not announce a refusal from American mediation and stressed that Ukraine needs US attempts to stop the war.
After his conversation with Trump, Vladimir Putin confirmed Russia's readiness to supply oil and oil products to the US and world markets and said he expected further cooperation between the two countries.
Sources: pravda.com.ua, axios.com