Trump defends diesel deal with Putin, cites EU energy payments
Donald Trump on Monday defended his diesel agreement with Russia, calling it the right decision, as Germany and the EU distanced themselves from the deal.
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US President Donald Trump on Monday defended his agreement with Russia over diesel supplies, insisting he made "the right decision" and claiming the European Union paid Russia $250 billion for energy. Meanwhile, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz rejected importing Russian diesel and emphasized the continuation of sanctions against Moscow.
In a post on his Truth Social account, Trump said: "I made the right decision regarding Russian diesel," adding that the EU paid Russia $250 billion for energy and accusing what he called the "fake" media of not reporting this.
Trump had earlier announced, following a conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, an agreement to immediately provide more than 300,000 tons of diesel to the United States and the global market. He also mentioned a deal to deliver 4.8 million tons of diesel over a short period.
According to Trump, an additional 500,000 tons of diesel are set to be released in November, followed by another one million tons "immediately after." He added that Russia also plans to supply 3 million tons of diesel in the near future, "depending on the state of its diesel refineries."
In contrast, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz distanced himself from Trump's stance on importing Russian diesel, saying in Berlin on Monday that the German government had taken note of the US-Russia diesel export agreement.
Merz added: "Such a decision is out of the question for Germany and Europe. Russia will only negotiate seriously under pressure, so we will continue to uphold the sanctions imposed on Russia."
The European Union also criticized the agreement and on Monday imposed new sanctions affecting around 1,600 entities and individuals linked to Russia's war on Ukraine, according to EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas.