Russia will be able to bring its diesel exports back to levels not seen since Ukraine began targeting the country’s oil refineries, » said Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak, after the Trump administration temporarily lifted US sanctions on Russian fuel. Russia has seen its diesel exports collapse due to Ukraine’s attacks on oil refineries and its self-imposed restrictions on foreign sales. Trump announced Friday that Russia had agreed to supply diesel to global markets to ease supply problems, in a deal that drew condemnation from Ukraine and other U.S. allies. Novak told state TV channel Rossiya-24 on Monday: “We will see how the situation develops, but Russia has the capacity to increase its exports of diesel fuel. By the end of the year, exports could reach 3-3.5 million tonnes per month, returning to levels seen before the crisis.”
The diesel deal, under which Russia will supply more than 2.25 million barrels of diesel to the U.S. and global markets, has sparked a bipartisan backlash from some U.S. lawmakers.who claim they will give Moscow money to continue its war without forcing Putin to make concessions to end the conflict. A group of Republican and Democratic US senators called on Trump to “backtrack” on the deal, saying it could violate a 2022 law designed to support Ukraine in its bid to repel Russian invaders. “We should strengthen sanctions further, not weaken them…” Republican Senator Jerry Moran said on social media. But Trump defended the deal Monday, calling it “a good choice for the American people.”
Trump envoys told Ukrainian officials that the deal allowing Russian diesel exports was part of an attempt to bring Moscow back into negotiations.Reuters cited three people close to the meeting who said. Envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner told the Ukrainians at a meeting in Miami on Friday that Russian President Vladimir Putin was not ready to negotiate an end to his war in Ukraine and that the diesel deal announced last week could help revive trilateral negotiations, said two of the people who spoke on condition of anonymity. The third person said the United States has communicated to the Ukrainians that the deal could help “soften” Moscow’s position, in part because it “sends a signal that Trump is open to doing things” with Russia. The report has not been officially confirmed.
Volodymyr Zelensky pledged to respond to Russia’s continued attacks on Ukraine’s power grid as European leaders rally around kyiv amid a feud with Trump over Ukrainian strikes on oil refineries. Ukraine’s president told a meeting of European security officials in Warsaw on Monday that kyiv would retaliate if strikes on its power grid continued. “If Russia does not agree to an energy ceasefire this winter, we will react. ” Zelensky later told Fox News that his government had refrained from striking Russian energy sites since Trump announced the truce on Sunday and that he was prepared to honor an energy ceasefire as “a good first step” toward ending the war.
A Russian strike on a high-rise residential building in a Kyiv suburb killed two peopleand injured at least nine, while attacks in other Ukrainian regions killed at least six people.officials said Monday. Two people died in the evening attack on a 25-story residence in the Ukrainian capital’s Darnitskyi district, Zelenskyy said on Telegram. In Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, Mayor Ihor Terekhov reported heavy shelling of parts of the city, with five people injured when the entrance to a building collapsed. Residents of the northeastern city could still be trapped under rubble, he said.
EU to open new negotiations with Ukraine on Tuesdayan essential step in kyiv’s long journey towards membership of the bloc. Ukrainian lawmakers on Monday passed a law protecting the rights of national minorities, removing a major obstacle to kyiv’s bid for membership. European Council President António Costa said he welcomed “today’s decision by EU member states to open two new negotiating groups with Ukraine and Moldova.” “Your future lies in the EU,” he said. “Let’s keep the momentum going!” »
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