Czech President Petr Pavel has stated that the agreement between US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin on the supply of diesel fuel to the American and global markets has undermined progress towards peace in Ukraine. He made these remarks in an interview with the Axel Springer Global Reporters Network, which includes the publication Politico.
According to Pavel, a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine was “very close” until Trump lifted sanctions on Russian diesel fuel.
Pavel noted that the coordinated US and European sanctions against Russian oil, oligarchs and other sectors had been putting “serious pressure” on Russia. However, the agreement announced on 9 October gave Russia “a chance to catch its breath”.
“It will now be much more difficult. Russia is using this moment to ease the pressure; for it, this is a kind of moral support,” said the Czech president.
He added that Trump is demonstrating a more open approach towards Russia than any European leader.
“To some extent, Vladimir Putin may appeal to him as an influential leader, but I do not think that… President Trump views this through the prism of a confrontation between democracy and autocracy; he views the situation solely from the perspective of the economic prosperity of the United States,” Pavel noted.
However, he did not go so far as to claim that the US had betrayed Ukraine or other European partners.
“I don’t know if we can call it a betrayal just yet, but I would call it a mistake. After all… this gives Russia new hope: the hope that it can ignore Europe and Ukraine and focus on striking deals with the US, and perhaps with China too, organising everything in line with its own priorities and strategies. In my view, this is undoubtedly contrary to Europe’s interests,” said the Czech President.
Against the backdrop of talks in Miami between Ukrainian, American and European officials aimed at ending Russia’s war against Ukraine, US President Donald Trump spoke with Russian leader Vladimir Putin on 9 October. Following the conversation, he announced an agreement between the US and Russia to supply millions of tonnes of Russian diesel fuel to the American and global markets. Trump stated that the aim of the deal was to supply the global market with fuel and bring prices down.
The US Treasury Department has issued a general licence authorising transactions relating to the sale, supply, unloading and import of diesel fuel of Russian origin until 7 April 2027.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticised the agreement between the US and Russia, calling the move a sign of US ‘weakness’ and a ‘gift’ to Putin. According to Zelenskyy, the Russian leader will only intensify his terror campaign against Ukrainian cities as a result.
The US Institute for the Study of War described the US decision to strike a deal on diesel fuel with Russia as a unilateral concession to the Kremlin.