After Trump’s Call With Putin, Russia Gets Diesel Deal and Ukraine Gets Demands
After the call, Trump announced Russian fuel purchases, called for new Ukrainian leadership, and declared a ceasefire neither country had confirmed.
Following an October 9 phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, President Donald Trump announced a series of decisions affecting Russia and Ukraine.
The timeline
October 9 – Russian diesel agreement. Trump announced that the United States would purchase Russian diesel fuel, beginning with 300,000 metric tons, followed by additional shipments. The Treasury Department authorized specified Russian diesel transactions through April 7, 2027, temporarily easing restrictions on those transactions. The move was criticized as being a violation of federal law.
October 10 – Demand for new Ukrainian leadership. Trump called for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to be replaced by someone willing to negotiate. The administration had also pressed Ukraine to stop attacking Russian oil refineries, strikes that had been damaging Russia’s energy infrastructure and economy.
October 11 – An announced energy ceasefire. Trump declared that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to stop attacking each other’s energy infrastructure. Neither government initially confirmed such an agreement.
October 12 – Trump’s explanation. When questioned about the absence of confirmation from Russia and Ukraine, Trump responded: “They agreed because I said they agreed.”
October 13 – Attacks continue. Despite the ceasefire announcement, Russian attacks on Ukraine civilians and energy infrastructure continued. Reuters reported a Russian an attack on Kharkiv that killed four civilians. Russia had still not publicly confirmed the energy ceasefire.
Telling signs
Trump also described the proposed Russian diesel shipments in metric tons rather than barrels. Metric tons are commonly used in international petroleum-product trading, including Russian exports, where US-brokered deals are typically measured in barrels. This raised speculation that the “deal” came from Putin, and Trump willingly complied.
How events unfolded
The sequence is clear: Following Trump’s conversation with Putin, the administration announced a Russian diesel agreement, eased restrictions on specified Russian fuel transactions, demanded a change in Ukraine’s leadership, and declared an energy ceasefire that neither side had initially confirmed.
Whose side is he on?
Trump clearly saw this as an opportunity to make it look like he is working to lower diesel prices while agreeing to a deal that benefits the U.S. adversary Russia. But the deal will have no measurable effect on global diesel prices, and Trump continues to ignore the real cause – the war in Iran.
Ukraine is fighting against a brutal adversary that invaded their land and has been concentrating its attacks on Ukrainian civilians – a cowardly and cruel campaign by Putin. But rather than helping Ukraine defend itself, Trump is all in for Russia.
More Trump corruption?
With the rampant corruption in the Trump administration, we have to ask – what is Trump getting out of this? And is it another case of the president putting his own personal interests in front of the national interest of the United States?
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