Yushchenko warned Trump against trading diesel with Russia

Viktor Yushchenko, the third president of Ukraine, addressed an open letter to U.S. President Donald Trump over the possibility of a trade deal with Russia to supply diesel fuel. He urged the American leader to consider the consequences such decisions could have for Ukrainians and not to give in to the Kremlin. The former president published the appeal on his Facebook page.

The letter’s main warning concerns money that could support Russia’s war machine. Yushchenko stressed that Russia continues to attack Ukrainian cities, homes, and civilians. In his view, against this backdrop, agreements with the Russian leadership, including deals to trade diesel, could help finance the war.

“Every dollar from this diesel is a missile bought that will strike our homes tomorrow,” said Viktor Yushchenko.

A separate argument made by the former president was the 1994 Budapest Memorandum. He recalled that Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons in exchange for assurances that its sovereignty and territorial integrity would be respected. In Yushchenko’s view, the U.S. must not forget its commitments to the Ukrainian state.

To explain why economic ties with a potential adversary do not guarantee peace, the letter’s author pointed to the history of fuel trade between the U.S. and Japan on the eve of the attack on Pearl Harbor. He also recalled Ukrainians who fought on the American side during World War II, underscoring the historical bond between the two peoples in their struggle against tyranny.

At the end of his appeal, Yushchenko declared that Ukraine would not give up its territory and would not allow itself to be intimidated by Russian attacks. He urged the international community not to pressure Kyiv into making concessions to Moscow.

“You don’t negotiate with tyrants—you stop them,” concluded Viktor Yushchenko.

We wrote earlier:

• Diesel as a bargaining chip: the U.S. is betting on a deal, while Kyiv is skeptical
• Russian diesel to enter the U.S. market: Trump and Putin agree on supplies
• Yushchenko: “For 20 years, the U.S. stood by Ukrainians, so it is painful to see them humiliated during the war”
• Peace at the cost of Donbas? The U.S. is preparing a new plan to end the war with security guarantees and economic agreements
• Zelensky hints to Trump: either nuclear weapons for Ukraine or NATO