Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said a U.S.-Russia diesel arrangement would add money to Moscow’s war effort, as Ukraine seeks European support against steep costs next year, The Independent reported.
Zelensky made the remarks at a press conference during an EU summit in Brussels on Friday. He argued that the arrangement would not counter market disruption linked to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The Independent reported that President Donald Trump had announced a diesel arrangement with Russian President Vladimir Putin, describing its purpose as easing U.S. energy costs before next month’s midterm elections.
A separate U.S. measure came on Oct. 9, when the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued General License 135. The license authorizes covered transactions involving Russian-origin diesel, including imports into the United States.
Zelensky had raised similar concerns in earlier coverage of his criticism of the U.S.-Russia diesel deal.
At the summit, Zelensky said the war was likely to cost Ukraine another €155 billion next year and that Kyiv would need €70 billion in European support. Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal told Reuters that EU financing might need to include a new loan for Ukraine’s next-year budget gap, The Independent reported.
The Independent said Zelensky thanked European partners for backing Ukraine through the war, as relations between Kyiv and Washington deteriorated. Its report said Russian attacks killed three people in Kharkiv on Friday, while strikes in other areas left hundreds of thousands without electricity.
Trump also criticized Ukraine’s renewed strikes on Russian oil refineries. He called the attacks a “disgrace” in remarks to Newsmax, according to The Independent.
