Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said a reported U.S.-Russia diesel arrangement had no political or security conditions, presenting it as an economic choice amid criticism that it could support Moscow’s war effort.
Lavrov made the remarks Tuesday at a meeting in Moscow with chief editors of African media outlets. He said leaders were giving citizens’ interests precedence over geopolitical aims while focusing on domestic and global economic priorities.
Lavrov said diesel purchases were not linked to political or security steps, including actions involving the Strait of Hormuz. “There were no conditions,” he said.
The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control issued General License 135 on Oct. 9, authorizing covered transactions involving Russian-origin diesel, including U.S. imports. The license was a separate U.S. measure.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned that the reported arrangement could add to Moscow’s war funding, The Independent reported. EconoTimes previously covered Zelensky’s warning about the deal’s potential effect on Russian war funding.
