Trump envoys say Russian diesel deal aims to bring Moscow back to talks
Trump aides told Ukrainian officials the Russia diesel deal could restart peace talks, as Kyiv and Moscow traded blame over a stalled energy ceasefire.
US President Donald Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner told Ukrainian officials in Miami on Friday that a deal allowing Russia to export diesel is intended to draw Vladimir Putin back to peace negotiations, three people familiar with the meeting told Reuters, according to Cyprus Mail. The envoys said Putin was not ready to end the four-and-a-half-year war, but that the deal could help restart three-way talks between Washington, Kyiv and Moscow.
One person at the meeting said the agreement, under which Russia will supply more than 2.25 million barrels of diesel to US and global markets, could soften Moscow's position partly by signalling that Trump was willing to do business with Russia. Kushner also repeated a US request for Ukraine to stop striking Russian oil refineries, arguing the attacks were raising global fuel prices; most experts attribute the price rises mainly to the war in Iran, the sources said.
The diesel deal has drawn criticism from some US lawmakers, who say it hands Moscow cash without requiring concessions to end the war. Trump defended the agreement on Monday as the right choice for American consumers, saying it would lower US energy prices ahead of the midterm elections. Ukrainian officials at the Miami meeting were sceptical of the approach, seeing it as using business deals to appease Russia, two of the people said.
Trump announced on Sunday that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to an immediate ceasefire on strikes against energy infrastructure, but neither side has confirmed it. Zelensky said the announcement was news to him, and said Russia went on to hit several energy targets inside Ukraine on Monday, BBC News reported. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov would say only that contacts were continuing.
Zelensky called the diesel deal a weak decision by Washington and "a gift to Putin." Trump responded by saying Zelensky could have settled the war many times and suggested Ukraine needed a new president. Zelensky said any energy ceasefire must cover all Ukrainian civilian infrastructure, not just refineries, a position also voiced by foreign minister Andrii Sybiha, Ukrainska Pravda reported, according to Observador.
The Kremlin separately proposed a one-day halt in fighting to allow Ukraine to hold elections, an offer dismissed in Kyiv and the West as not serious. Foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said Ukraine did not deserve the respite a ceasefire would bring.
What we know
- 2+ outlets · Cyprus Mail, BBC News Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner told Ukrainian officials in Miami that a deal allowing Russia to export diesel aims to draw Putin back to peace talks, Reuters reported.
- 2+ outlets · BBC News, Observador Trump announced an energy-infrastructure ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine on Sunday, but neither side has confirmed it, and Russia struck Ukrainian energy targets on Monday, Zelensky said.
- 2+ outlets · Observador, Kosovo Online Zelensky called the diesel deal a weak decision and "a gift to Putin"; Trump said Zelensky could have settled the war and suggested Ukraine needed a new president.
- 2+ outlets · Observador, Kosovo Online Zelensky said any ceasefire must cover all Ukrainian civilian infrastructure, not only oil refineries.
- 1 outlet · Cyprus Mail The Kremlin proposed a one-day halt in fighting for Ukrainian elections, which Kyiv and Western officials dismissed as not serious.
Not yet confirmed
- Unconfirmed Whether the diesel deal will meaningfully lower US fuel prices, which some experts doubt.
- Unconfirmed Russia's and Ukraine's formal confirmation of the energy ceasefire Trump announced.
How each fact is established: Verified checked by an ECTV editorOfficial stated by an official body2+ outlets reported independently by two or more news organisations1 outlet reported by a single news organisation so farUnconfirmed claimed or reportedHow we label facts
Why it matters for Europe
The disagreement over which infrastructure a ceasefire should cover goes to the heart of the difficulty in ending the war: Russia wants relief from sanctions and a chance to keep exporting fuel, while Ukraine says any truce must protect the civilian power and heating network before winter. Washington's shift towards deal-making with Moscow, including the diesel agreement, has unsettled Kyiv and some European governments.
Separately, Nordic and Baltic defence ministers agreed to set up a roughly 400-million-euro joint fund to buy artillery shells for Ukraine, bypassing normal procurement delays, the Kyiv Independent reported, a sign that European military support continues even as Washington pursues a different track with Moscow.
Sources
Reported by 7 reports from 6 independent outlets in 5 countries.
- Cyprus Mail: US hopes diesel deal can ‘soften’ Moscow on peace talks
- BBC News: Why Moscow is staying tight-lipped on Trump's energy ceasefire
- Observador: Zelensky responde a Moscovo e exige trégua total
- Kosovo Online: Zelenski optužuje Moskvu za kršenje energetskog primirja
- Adevărul: România, în fața unui pericol existențial. George Scutaru, la „Agenda Internațională”: „Riscăm să avem 850 km de graniță cu Rusia”
Source balance
PremiumSee how the 6 outlets behind this story spread from left to right, and which are official or OSINT sources.
Free during the launch: create an account →Log inHow we rate sources
Intelligence file
PremiumSee how we verified this story
Confidence and impact scores, 1 more sources, the full situation report and the event timeline.
Launch offer: free for members until 31 October 2026
Questions and answers
- What is the US diesel deal with Russia?
- Under the agreement, Russia will supply more than 2.25 million barrels of diesel to US and global markets, which US officials hope will help bring Moscow back to peace talks.
- Has Russia and Ukraine agreed an energy ceasefire?
- Trump announced one on Sunday, but neither side has confirmed it, and Zelensky said Russia hit energy targets in Ukraine the next day.
- Why is Zelensky critical of the diesel deal?
- He called it a weak decision and a gift to Putin, saying any ceasefire must protect all of Ukraine's civilian infrastructure, not just refineries.
This article was written with AI assistance from 6 verified reports and checked under the ECTV editorial policy. Spotted an error? Request a correction.