THE ‘energy ceasefire’ Donald Trump announced on Sunday occasioned surprise in Kyiv and silence in Moscow. Volodymyr Zelensky declared that Ukraine would abide by it if Russia followed suit. A day later, the beleaguered president said six Ukrainian energy facilities had been attacked since Trump’s declaration, while Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reportedly said that Ukraine did not deserve any respite.

Diesel prices in the US have almost doubled during Trump’s second term. The primary culprit, according to most analysts, is the US-Israeli war on Iran. Hardly anyone takes seriously American claims of completely controlling the Strait of Hormuz. It is worth noting that when, almost a half-century ago, Cold War hawks in Washington were petrified by the prospect of the Red Army rolling into Iran after it invaded Afghanistan, the first step in the retaliatory game plan entailed the American capture of the same strait to thwart the designs of the ‘evil empire’.

The thirst for fuel has since only increased, and Trump’s diesel deal with Moscow, pausing the recently imposed sanctions against Russian commercial interests, is obviously intended to salvage the declining prospects of the ruling Republicans in next month’s midterm........

© Dawn