Cynical Dealers: Why Trump Made a "Diesel Deal" with Putin and How an Independent Ukraine Hinders Both of Them

Channel 24 journalist Albina Pidgirnyak analyzed the latest developments in the so-called “peace talks under Trump’s auspices” and explains why they turned out to be a smokescreen for business deals between the U.S. president’s team and Russian dictator Putin, as well as how this blood-stained business is hindered by the stance of an independent Ukraine, which continues to fight for survival despite the betrayal of an ally, intense pressure, and threats.

A Bribe from Putin Under the Guise of Peace Talks

Donald Trump allegedly struck a deal with Putin to supply Russian diesel fuel to the American and global markets. The volumes are enormous – 300,000 metric tons of fuel today, and a million metric tons the day after tomorrow.

But, first of all, Russia allegedly doesn’t have that much. Second, Russian diesel fuel is the worst in the world. It’s produced using 1950s technology and is suitable only for heating via open combustion. You can’t put that stuff in the engines of those beautiful, powerful American cars.

However, there is LUKOIL North America in the U.S. The company does not have its own refinery, only 230 gas stations. Putin allegedly asked Trump to look out for them and exempt them from sanctions. To that end,Trump's emissaries, Witkoff and Kushner, flew to Moscow under the guise of peace talks on Ukraine.

During negotiations with Putin, Trump’s emissaries were thinking not about peace, but about money / photo – Kremlin

When Trump promises to flood the entire world with Russian diesel fuel – which doesn’t exist and which nobody needs – it means that the entire LUKOIL North America network will continue to operate without fear of sanctions and will continue to generate profits.

Betrayal in the Making

Meanwhile, the first shipment of Russian diesel fuel is already approaching the coast of the United States.

According to information released on October 10, 2026, the tanker MINERVA ZEN is carrying approximately 230,000 barrels of diesel fuel from Russia. The vessel departed from the port of St. Petersburg on September 22 and set course across the Atlantic Ocean toward the U.S. East Coast.

According to maritime shipping tracking data, the tanker may arrive off the U.S. coast in the coming days. The shipment’s departure date is particularly noteworthy, as the Russian fuel set sail nearly three weeks before U.S. President Donald Trump publicly announced an agreement with Vladimir Putin regarding the supply of Russian petroleum products.

On October 9, Donald Trump announced that an agreement had been reached with Russian leadership to resume the supply of significant volumes of diesel fuel to the U.S. and global markets. Under the announced terms, Russia must ensure the immediate delivery of more than 300,000 metric tons of diesel, with additional shipments expected in the coming months.

Washington explains this decision by the need to stabilize the fuel market and lower prices, which have risen significantly due to the international energy crisis. At the same time, the U.S. administration has temporarily eased sanctions restrictions on Russian petroleum products, effectively paving the way for the resumption of related trade operations.

At the same time, reports about the movements of the tanker MINERVA ZEN have raised questions about exactly when Washington and Moscow began discussing the supply of Russian fuel. If the vessel is indeed carrying diesel for the U.S. market, its departure from St. Petersburg on September 22 may indicate that preparations for such shipments began well before the official announcement of the agreement.

The history of the MINERVA ZEN tanker proves that the treasonous plan was agreed upon in advance / Screenshot

Of course, the mere fact that the tanker set sail does not in itself prove that the agreement between Trump and Putin was reached in September. The exact date the terms were agreed upon, the final buyer of the cargo, and all the details of the route require further confirmation.

This situation is unfolding against the backdrop of Russia’s ongoing full-scale war against Ukraine and discussions surrounding economic pressure on Moscow. Previously, U.S. sanctions were aimed at limiting revenues from the Russian energy sector, which remains one of the main sources of revenue for the Russian Federation’s budget.

Washington explains the resumption of Russian diesel fuel purchases primarily on economic grounds. The United States has faced a significant rise in diesel fuel prices, which is affecting transportation, agriculture, logistics, and the cost of many goods.

The Trump administration expects that increasing the supply of fuel will help curb rising prices. However, some experts doubt that additional Russian supplies will be able to significantly change the situation on the U.S. market, since the problem is linked not only to import volumes but also to a general shortage of refining capacity and disruptions in global trade.

The arrival of a Russian diesel tanker near the U.S. coast almost immediately after the public announcement of the deal became a topic of discussion in its own right. According to reports, the tanker’s route was tracked using specialized maritime monitoring systems. It should also be noted that the MINERVA ZEN is a Greek-managed tanker, a factor that must be taken into account when assessing the nature of the shipment.

So far, there is insufficient independent confirmation that the cargo has already been sold to a specific U.S. buyer or that the vessel has received a final destination for unloading at a U.S. port. However, as of October 11, reports emerged that a tanker carrying approximately 230,000 barrels of Russian diesel fuel – shipped as early as September 22 – was approaching the United States.

Against this backdrop, a new agreement between Washington and Moscow regarding the supply of Russian petroleum products has already been officially announced. The main question is whether the MINERVA ZEN voyage was part of a prearranged deal, or whether its cargo was only later linked to the new agreements. The answer will depend on confirmation of the shipping documents, the actual port of arrival, and information about the fuel’s buyer.

Trump Used Ukraine as a Smokescreen

Of course, such actions by the U.S. raised questions for everyone, but most of all for Ukraine. This is because the announcement of Trump’s diesel deal with Putin came against the backdrop of a new round of Ukraine-U.S. talks in Florida and an intensification of Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities. In the last few days alone, Russian bombs, drones, and missiles have killed about 80 civilians, including children. Clearly, Ukraine’s reaction to such a stab in the back from the U.S. – which is exactly what it was – could not have been any different.

Zelenskyy harshly criticized Trump and called his actions “a weak decision by a strong nation,” emphasizing that Russia’s additional energy revenues could bolster its financial capacity to continue the war. In response, Trump shifted all the blame onto Ukraine and once again sang the same old tune about the “bad” Zelenskyy, who doesn’t want peace and who should have been replaced long ago.

Trump is once again playing the “same old tune”:

Kyiv reacted swiftly to the U.S. president’s statement that Ukraine allegedly needs a new president who can negotiate an end to the war. Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga stated that the question of who will lead the country can be decided exclusively by the citizens of Ukraine.

Trump made this statement on October 10, criticizing Volodymyr Zelenskyy for the lack of an agreement with Russia and for Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries. The U.S. president suggested that Ukraine elect a different leader who, in his view, would be able to negotiate an agreement to end the war.

In response, Sibiga emphasized that Zelenskyy continues to lead the country amid a full-scale war, and that it is up to the Ukrainian people to determine their future president. According to him, decisions regarding Ukraine’s leadership cannot be made outside of Ukraine.

Ukraine understands that hopes for an appropriate stance from the Trump Administration are in vain / photo – Office of the President

Martial law remains in effect in Ukraine at this time. The law explicitly prohibits holding presidential elections during this period, and the incumbent president’s term continues until the newly elected president takes office following the lifting of martial law.

President Zelenskyy leads our nation in times of war – a war for independence, freedom, and dignity. He has the support of the Ukrainian people, and Ukrainians have the right to decide. Statements from abroad only confirm that he is doing his job well. He deserves our support,” said Minister Sibiga.

Even Trump’s own people are criticizing him

Trump’s decision regarding Russian diesel fuel has drawn criticism even within the U.S. itself, from both parties.

Republican Don Bacon stated that buying Russian fuel to lower prices in the U.S. is the wrong approach, since that money ultimately supports the Russian war economy.

Republican Senator Kevin Cramer separately commented on the Ukrainian strikes on oil refineries. According to him, such attacks have a military-economic rationale, as the oil industry remains one of Russia’s sources of revenue.

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker has also previously called on the administration to exert greater pressure on Moscow – through sanctions targeting the energy sector, the shadow fleet, and technology supply channels.

Among Democrats, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has emerged as one of the harshest critics. Together with Jean Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Elizabeth Warren, the top Democrat on the Banking Committee, he issued a joint statement opposing the easing of sanctions.

They stated that allowing global purchases of Russian diesel for six months contradicts the policy of reducing Russian energy revenues and is inconsistent with the course Congress endorsed just a few weeks ago with new sanctions.

Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal spoke out separately. He stated that lifting restrictions on Russian diesel provides additional revenue to the Russian economy and runs counter to Congress’s bipartisan sanctions legislation. Blumenthal called on Trump to reverse this decision.

Trump’s former vice president, Mike Pence, also spoke out against the agreement, stating that easing economic pressure on Russia is happening at a time when it continues its war against Ukraine.

Importantly, criticism of Trump’s new decision is not coming solely from Democrats. Some Republicans also believe that, rather than opening the market to Russian fuel, Washington should continue to apply economic pressure on Moscow.

At the same time, the White House is simultaneously putting pressure on Ukraine over the strikes on Russian oil refineries, while there are lawmakers from both parties in Congress who view Russian energy revenues as one of the main areas where pressure needs to be intensified.

Meanwhile, Trump himself is surprised that he can say whatever he wants, yet there are Americans who continue to applaud him.

Trump and “God’s dew” – watch the video:

Celebrations in Moscow

In the Kremlin, Donald Trump’s remarks that Ukraine should supposedly elect a different president were greeted almost as a gift. Putin’s special representative, Kirill Dmitriev, immediately called this statement “landmark and historic” and repeated what Moscow has been saying for years: namely, that the problem lies not with Russia – which started the biggest war in Europe in decades – but with the Ukrainian leadership, which allegedly “does not want peace.”

And here, there’s no need to read anything into it – it’s enough simply to lay out the facts side by side.

Russia invaded Ukraine, occupied part of its territory, continues its offensive, regularly launches missiles and hundreds of drones at Ukrainian cities, and attacks energy facilities, residential buildings, and infrastructure. But at the same time, Kremlin officials come out and claim that Zelenskyy is supposedly “stoking the war.”

At the same time, Moscow refuses to accept a simple solution: to stop

the fighting and then negotiate. The Kremlin continues to insist on its territorial and political demands, including claims to Ukrainian lands that the Russian army has not even been able to fully capture.

Ukraine has repeatedly expressed its readiness for reciprocal steps toward de-escalation. For example, it would stop strikes on Russian energy infrastructure if Russia simultaneously stopped striking Ukrainian infrastructure. But such simple reciprocity does not suit Moscow – it wants concessions from Ukraine without ceasing its own attacks.

Against this backdrop, the Kremlin has long been trying to shift the conversation from the question “Why is Russia continuing the war?” to the question “Why is Zelenskyy still president?”

Russian officials have been pushing the narrative of his “illegitimacy” for years. Peskov and other Kremlin representatives regularly speak about elections in Ukraine, even though they know full well that the country is under martial law and that it was the Russian invasion itself that made a normal electoral process impossible. That is why Moscow received Trump’s words so warmly. What Russian propaganda has been saying for years has now come from the White House.

Even more telling is that all of this is happening at the same time as the gradual resumption of contacts between Washington and Moscow.

Trump agreed with Putin to allow some Russian diesel fuel back onto the market, and the U.S. has temporarily eased some of the restrictions. The Kremlin is getting the opportunity to profit from energy resources again, while Washington is demanding that Ukraine refrain from striking Russian oil refineries.

And almost immediately afterward, the familiar refrain comes from Moscow: Zelenskyy is allegedly standing in the way of peace.

At the same time, Russia itself has not fundamentally changed anything. It is not withdrawing its troops from Ukraine. It is not declaring an unconditional ceasefire. It has not dropped its territorial claims. It has not stopped its attacks on Ukrainian cities. Yet the Kremlin suggests that Kyiv is to blame for the fact that the war is still ongoing.

Kirill Dmitriev has become a trusted ally of Trump’s envoys / photo – Kremlin

Dmitriev himself is a story unto himself. Recently, he has effectively become one of the Kremlin’s main channels for negotiations with Trump’s team. He travels to the U.S., discussing future business deals, joint energy projects, the Arctic, natural resources, and the possibility of American companies returning to Russia.

In other words, Moscow is trying to build a framework that is very convenient for itself: the war can continue separately, while business with the West can be resumed separately. Ukrainian cities can be attacked, but Ukraine’s strikes on Russian oil refineries must stop.

Russia can make demands regarding Ukrainian territories, but it is Kyiv that is supposedly expected to prove it wants peace. The Kremlin can spend years trying to influence Ukrainian politics, but then present a change in Ukraine’s leadership as a necessary condition for ending the war.

That is why Dmitriev’s reaction to Trump’s remarks was so swift. For Moscow, this is not just a well-timed statement by the American president. It is, in fact, support for one of the Kremlin’s main narratives: the problem is supposedly not Russian aggression, but rather who sits in the presidential office in Kyiv.

And this is precisely where the full cynicism of this story becomes particularly evident: a state that started the war itself and is still waging it is trying to convince the world that, for peace, it is not the Kremlin’s policy that needs to change, but the president of the country that the Kremlin attacked.