Trump lifted Russian fuel ban after Zelensky rejected his demands – Axios
US President Donald Trump’s decision to approve a temporary waiver of sanctions on Russian fuel exports came after Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky ignored multiple requests to stop strikes on Russian oil refineries, Axios reported on Saturday, citing a US official with direct knowledge of the matter.
Trump has persistently blamed Ukraine, and Zelensky personally, for exacerbating the global fuel crisis, accusing authorities in Kiev of deliberately targeting Russian refining facilities and driving up prices for American consumers. Despite repeated warnings from Washington, the Ukrainian leader pledged earlier this month to ramp up the long-range strikes.
“The attacks on the refineries cause pain in Russia, but it causes pain for the US, too,” the US official told the news outlet.
US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner reportedly warned Ukrainian negotiators during eight hours of talks in Miami earlier this week that Trump planned to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin and lift sanctions on Russian diesel exports.
A Ukrainian official told Axios that Witkoff and Kushner threatened to cut off US intelligence sharing with Kiev if it continued to ignore Trump’s requests to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries, but the US official denied that any such threat had been made.
The media outlet cited the official as saying that the dispute over the diesel deal emerged as the US mediators conducted constructive talks on ending the conflict with Ukrainian and European diplomats. The negotiations reportedly focused on finalizing security guarantees for Ukraine from the US, Europe, and NATO, as well as new territorial proposals.
The official added that Witkoff and Kushner had presented postwar plans covering Ukraine’s reconstruction, military funding, and budget deficits, while participants discussed Kiev’s potential EU accession, its future relationship with NATO, and a possible postwar security framework between Europe and Russia.
Trump and Putin held a phone call on Friday, shortly after which the US Treasury Department announced a temporary waiver of sanctions on Russian fuel trade, allowing diesel to be sold, delivered, and exported, including into the US, until at least April 7, 2027.
Trump said Russia would immediately supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel to the US and global markets, followed by another 500,000 tons in November and a million tons thereafter, with up to three million additional tons available “within a short period of time.”
The Kremlin said Moscow was ready to supply oil and petroleum products to global markets, adding that this would benefit the world economy. Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandr Novak also confirmed that Russia would lift diesel export restrictions ahead of schedule, with the process to begin “immediately.”
Russia had previously extended restrictions on diesel, ship fuel, and gas oil exports until October 31 to stabilize the domestic market amid seasonal demand from the harvest. Fuel producers are barred from exporting until October 31, while fuel resellers face a ban until January 31, 2027. Gasoline exports are also prohibited until the end of January.
