New Delhi, Oct 10 (NVI) US President Donald Trump has said he had struck a deal to obtain diesel from Russia, marking a shocking turnaround of America’s position regarding the war in Ukraine.
Trump said on social media that he struck the deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin in a phone call.
He announced that Russia will immediately supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel, followed by an additional 500,000 tons in November and 1 million tons “immediately thereafter.”
Russia will deliver an additional 3 million tons “within a short period of time” after that, he wrote.
In a lengthy post online reacting to the deal, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia would repay it “with further terror and perfidy.” He cast it as an investment in the war, allowing it to be prolonged.
“It plays into Russia’s hands — allowing it to kill more, wage war for longer, have even less respect for America, and inflict even greater losses and damage on the world,” he said.
According to a statement released by the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington, Zelenskyy called it “a weak decision, unfortunately, a weak decision by strong partners.”
Trump announced the deal as his envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner were meeting with Ukrainian officials in Miami to discuss a proposal to end the war.
“I believe our team is simply being used as a smokescreen. And that is certainly not fair. It is certainly not how partners should treat each other,” Zelenskyy said. (NVI)
