The president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, has criticized this Friday the agreement announced by the American president, Donald Trump, by which Russia will send millions of tons of diesel to the international market and to the United States, which he has labeled as a "gift" for Vladimir Putin and a sign of "evident weakness" in the face of the relaxation of the sanctions imposed on Moscow.
"Any easing of sanctions against Russia without a clear and lasting de-escalation agreement with this country constitutes an evident weakness. This plays into Russia's hands, as it allows them to kill more people, prolong the war, have even less respect for the United States, and inflict greater losses and damages on the world," he has pointed out on his social media.
In a broader statement, the head of the Ukrainian state has emphasized that "gifts to Putin will not bring peace or any benefit to the civilized world" and that "Russia will 'return' the diesel with more terror and treachery." "Allowing Russia to sell petroleum products is an investment in a war that must be ended, not prolonged. What is needed is a true détente with Russia on a reciprocal basis," he has added.
In this line, Zelensky has stated that he is prepared to adopt "symmetrical détente measures," and has defended Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil infrastructure as an action in "response to the terror campaign that Russia has been carrying out for years against Ukraine's energy sector."
"Ukraine will not set fire to Russian oil refineries if Russia does not destroy our energy infrastructure. This is the kind of agreement we propose to the United States, and we believe that this country has enough power to reach such a commitment," he has added in this regard.
The Ukrainian leader has emphasized that his country has the "just support" of Washington and has requested that, "consequently," the United States maintain a "firm, not weak" position in its contacts with Moscow.
"Peace never comes through weakness," he has stated in a note in which he insists on maintaining pressure on Russia, while he has reproached that the conversation held this Friday between Trump and Putin "leads to something different."
Zelensky has attributed the pact to a "mistake" by Russia while "compensating for its inability to achieve its objectives on the battlefield." "That is why it resorts to attempts to reach agreements behind closed doors to gain some kind of relief from the pressure on Russia, in order to buy more time and more opportunities," he asserted.
His statements come after the occupant of the White House has presented a "transcendental" agreement with his Russian counterpart for Russia to supply "immediately" more than 300,000 tons of diesel fuel to the U.S. and global market.
According to Trump, the pact provides for the shipment of "another 500,000 tons during the month of November and 1,000,000 tons immediately after," and, depending on the situation of the Russian refineries, he expects Moscow to be able to deliver "in a short period of time," three million tons of diesel fuel.
The Russian president, for his part, has ratified the agreement and his full willingness "to supply oil and petroleum products to the U.S. and global markets," according to a statement released by the Kremlin.