Trump struck a diesel deal with Putin just weeks after signing Russia sanctions. Zelenskyy calls it ‘a weak decision’

Zelenskyy calls US-Russia diesel deal ‘a weak decision’ and says negotiators are being ‘used as a smokescreen.’

THIS IS AN APNewsAlert. Check back for updates. AP’s earlier story is below.

President Donald Trump said that he has struck a deal to obtain diesel from Russia, a stunning reversal of years of U.S. pressure on Moscow over its war with Ukraine and an attempt to address high fuel prices ahead of the U.S. midterm elections.

Trump said on social media on Friday that he struck the deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin in a phone call in which he was expected to discuss a suspected case of plague in Russia. Instead, Trump 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 another 3 million tons “within a short period of time” after that, he wrote.

Trump’s shocking announcement comes after he signed a sweeping Russia sanctions law last month that aimed at clamping down on Russia’s energy economy, among other areas, that fuel its war against Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reacted sharply in a social media post, saying that the Russian leader was trying to strike “backroom deals” to buy time in the war.

“Gifts to Putin will not bring peace or any benefit to the civilized world,” he said.

Trump’s move casts doubt on the likelihood of the White House imposing sanctions on Russia this month, given that a bipartisan law passed by Congress directs the........

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