According to Trump, he closed a diesel export deal with Russia last week and, on Friday, opted not to implement additional tariffs and penalties against Russia. He framed both decisions as part of his effort to keep talks alive, posting, "I am in the process of negotiating Peace in the war between Russia and Ukraine, and don't want to do anything that will drive, foolishly, Russia away from the bargaining table. Great progress is being made."
He said the diesel arrangement was intended to bring down elevated fuel costs before the US midterm elections. For months, he has argued that Ukraine's strikes on Russian energy infrastructure - not what he calls the US war on Iran, which he says choked off oil moving through the Strait of Hormuz and lifted world prices - are the real driver of higher energy costs.
Alongside that message, Trump alleged that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is keeping the conflict going - now in its fifth year - due to the military support he has received from European partners. "He doesn't want to end this war, and probably never did," Trump wrote, adding, "He could have made a better deal two years ago than he can now. His country is in shambles, a large portion of his land is lost, his oceans and seas are gone, and his male population is low, wounded, and/or dead. I WANT THIS WAR END!"
Zelenskyy countered in a Sunday Bloomberg News interview that Trump is trying to pressure Kyiv to capitulate to Russia, escalating a week-long dispute between the two leaders. The same day, as part of a push to restart peace talks that are currently stalled, Zelenskyy held a conversation with Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
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Zelenskyy has also accused the US of deliberately restricting the Starlink and Starshield systems, which he said assist in intercepting incoming Russian drones and in charting secure routes for getting provisions and equipment to soldiers. The White House stated it played no part in the temporary shutdown.
At least 10 Republican senators, together with House members, have publicly opposed both the diesel arrangement and the suspension of new tariffs and sanctions. The pushback is atypical for a Republican president in office and arrives as Republicans risk losing their congressional majorities after the Nov. 3 midterms, in an environment where voters rank the cost of living as their chief concern.
The stated aim is straightforward: use a diesel export deal and a waiver of fresh penalties to help restrain fuel prices while trying to keep Moscow in the room. Markets will watch three levers from here: whether talks restart, how energy prices respond, and whether Republican resistance forces a policy pivot heading into the vote.
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