{"id":625519,"date":"2026-10-13T10:17:18","date_gmt":"2026-10-13T07:17:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/korabelov.info\/2026\/10\/625519\/diesel-before-negotiations-us-bets-on-a-deal-kyiv-skeptical\/"},"modified":"2026-10-13T10:27:32","modified_gmt":"2026-10-13T07:27:32","slug":"diesel-before-negotiations-us-bets-on-a-deal-kyiv-skeptical","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/korabelov.info\/en\/2026\/10\/625519\/diesel-before-negotiations-us-bets-on-a-deal-kyiv-skeptical\/","title":{"rendered":"Diesel Before Negotiations: US Bets on a Deal, Kyiv Skeptical"},"content":{"rendered":"

Permission to export Russian diesel fuel could become a way to bring Russia<\/strong> back to negotiations on ending the war. That is how U.S. President Donald Trump\u2019s<\/strong> special envoys \u2014 Steve Witkoff<\/strong> and Jared Kushner<\/strong> \u2014 explained the American approach to the Ukrainian delegation at a meeting on October 9<\/strong> in Miami<\/strong>. Ukrainian officials were skeptical of the idea.<\/p>\n

Reuters<\/a><\/strong> was told about the conversation by three<\/strong> sources familiar with the negotiations. According to one<\/strong> of them, the U.S. side hopes to soften Moscow\u2019s<\/strong> position: a diesel deal would demonstrate Trump\u2019s<\/strong> willingness to work with Russia<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cThe idea was that the U.S.<\/strong> could approach Russia<\/strong> and say: \u2018See, the Ukrainians have stopped the strikes, and we\u2019ve offered you this deal. Now it\u2019s your turn to do something,\u2019\u201d a source told Reuters<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Ukrainian officials, Reuters<\/strong> reports, see this approach as an attempt to bring Russia<\/strong> to the negotiating table through business deals. Meanwhile, sources familiar with the Russian side\u2019s views described a different position held by Vladimir Putin<\/strong>: he does not plan to return to peace talks until Russian troops capture the rest of Donbas<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

At the meeting, Kushner<\/strong> and Witkoff<\/strong> also recalled the support the U.S.<\/strong> has provided to Ukraine<\/strong>, including military aid and intelligence support for the Armed Forces of Ukraine<\/strong>. However, according to two<\/strong> agency sources and one<\/strong> meeting participant, U.S. representatives did not threaten to cut off this assistance if Kyiv<\/strong> refused to stop strikes on Russian oil refineries.<\/p>\n

The diesel deal itself was announced on October 9<\/strong>. At the time, U.S. President Donald Trump<\/strong> said he had reached an agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin<\/strong> to supply Russian diesel fuel to the U.S. and global markets<\/a>. According to him, the initial shipment was to exceed 300,000 tonnes<\/strong>, with further deliveries planned afterward. The U.S. administration also temporarily eased sanctions restrictions on Russian fuel.<\/p>\n

Trump<\/strong> said the decision was intended to lower fuel prices. Prices had risen because of disruptions to energy supplies, including amid the conflict involving Iran<\/strong> and difficulties shipping oil through the Strait of Hormuz<\/strong>. However, analysts doubt that the announced volumes of Russian diesel could significantly affect global prices.<\/p>\n

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy<\/strong> criticized the authorization to sell Russian petroleum products<\/a>, emphasizing that it would help Russia<\/strong> finance its war against Ukraine<\/strong>. He also recently said that the U.S.<\/strong> could negotiate diesel fuel supplies with Ukraine<\/strong>, rather than Russia<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Seven<\/strong> U.S. senators from both the Republican<\/strong> and Democratic Parties<\/strong> also opposed the import authorization. They urged the Donald Trump<\/strong> administration to revoke permission to import Russian diesel fuel into the U.S.<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

We previously reported:<\/strong><\/p>\n