Zelenskyy Condemns US-Russia Diesel Deal As Russian Strike Kills 12 In Ukraine

KYIV/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused the United States on Saturday of helping finance Russia’s invasion of his country through a new diesel supply agreement with Moscow, as Ukrainian families mourned 12 people, including three children, killed in a Russian airstrike.

Zelenskyy condemned the agreement announced Friday by U.S.President Donald J. Trump following talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, warning that additional energy revenues would enable Moscow to continue its military campaign.

“Gifts to Putin will not bring peace or any benefit to the civilised world,” Zelenskyy wrote on social media platform X. He described allowing Russia to sell petroleum products as an investment in prolonging the war rather than ending it.

His criticism came as rescue workers searched the rubble of residential buildings in the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, where Russian glide bombs killed civilians, including a six-year-old girl whose grandfather wept as rescuers recovered her body.

“Her birthday would have been at the end of the month,” Anatoliy Chumniy, the girl’s grandfather, said through tears as emergency workers continued searching the wreckage.

DEADLY RUSSIAN STRIKES

Ukrainian officials said 14 people were wounded in the attack, which struck several locations in Zaporizhzhia, an industrial city whose outskirts lie less than 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the frontline.

Zelenskyy linked the bloodshed to Washington’s decision to ease economic pressure on Moscow, accusing Russia of effectively thanking the United States by dropping five glide bombs on residential buildings.

He warned that Moscow interpreted any easing of sanctions as permission to continue attacking Ukrainian cities rather than an incentive to negotiate an end to the fighting.

Trump defended the agreement with Putin as necessary to bring down soaring American diesel prices, which have risen sharply amid the US conflict with Iran and disruptions to international energy supplies.

Higher diesel costs have affected American farmers, truck drivers and businesses transporting goods, raising concerns about inflation ahead of November’s congressional elections.

TRUMP DEFENDS DIESEL DEAL

Trump said Russia would immediately supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel to American and global markets, followed by another 500,000 tons in November, one million tons shortly afterward and a further three million tons within a relatively short period, depending on Russian refinery conditions.

“Diesel Prices for Americans and, indeed, the World, will be COMING DOWN, IN RECORD NUMBERS, AND FAST!”,

Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

“Lower prices for Americans, especially our Great Farmers, Ranchers, and Truckers, is my Greatest Priority,” Trump added.

The agreement came amid disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for international oil supplies, which have contributed to higher energy prices worldwide.

The U.S.Treasury Department subsequently issued a temporary license allowing transactions involving Russian diesel through April 7, 2027, easing restrictions imposed on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.

UKRAINE PEACE TALKS

Zelenskyy expressed frustration that the agreement was announced while Ukrainian and European representatives were meeting American officials in Miami to discuss proposals for ending the war.

The discussions involved Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, his son-in-law, as Washington continued efforts to negotiate a settlement between Kyiv and Moscow.

“I believe our team is simply being used as a front. And that is certainly not fair, nor is it how partners should treat each other,” Zelenskyy told reporters through the WhatsApp messaging service.

“In my view, it is a weak decision on the part of strong partners,” he added, warning that the arrangement would provide Russia with additional funds for military operations.

The agreement also drew criticism from American lawmakers, including Democrats who accused Trump of undermining sanctions designed to restrict Russia’s ability to finance its invasion.

US LAWMAKERS CRITICIZE DEAL

Republican Congressman Don Bacon joined the criticism, writing on X: “Propping up Putin’s war economy is morally wrong as he uses that money to bomb cities.”

The arrangement follows new American legislation allowing sanctions against individuals, financial institutions and vessels involved in Russian energy trading, although the president retains authority to grant exemptions.

Amid the controversy, Germany, Europe’s largest economy, reaffirmed its commitment to sanctions against Russia, with government spokesperson Stefan Kornelius saying Berlin would continue working with European partners on further measures while maintaining support for Ukraine.

Yet the European Union has also continued purchasing Russian energy, paying an estimated 7.88 billion euros ($9.1 billion) for Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) during the first nine months of 2026, despite its pledge to reduce Moscow’s energy revenues as the war in Ukraine continues, German environmental campaign group Urgewald reported Saturday.

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski questioned whether Moscow could fulfill the promised diesel deliveries, citing fuel shortages in the Russian capital and reports of extensive damage to the country’s refineries.

WAR CONTINUES IN UKRAINE

Sikorski said Poland’s embassy had reported fuel shortages even in Moscow, which normally receives priority supplies. He also cited reports that Ukrainian attacks had damaged roughly half of Russia’s refining capacity, asking where Moscow would find surplus fuel for export.

The developments came as Russian state media cited the Defense Ministry as saying Moscow’s forces had captured the settlements of Lukashove and Lobanivka in Ukraine’s eastern Kharkiv region. The battlefield claims could not be independently verified.

Russian missiles also struck Kyiv on Saturday, wounding four people, according to Mayor Vitalii Klitschko, as Ukraine struggled with continued attacks on its energy infrastructure.

For Ukrainian families grieving the deaths of loved ones in Zaporizhzhia, the diplomatic dispute unfolded against the immediate reality of destroyed homes, lost children and uncertainty over when the fighting would end.

Zelenskyy insisted that meaningful de-escalation must involve reciprocal steps by Russia rather than economic concessions that, he warned, could allow Moscow to continue its invasion.