US hopes diesel deal can ‘soften’ Moscow on peace talks, sources say
President Donald Trump’s envoys told Ukrainian officials on Friday that a deal to allow Russian diesel exports was part of an effort to bring Russia back to negotiations after previous attempts to launch sustained talks to end the war failed, three people familiar with the meeting told Reuters.
Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, told Ukrainian officials during a meeting in Miami that Russian President Vladimir Putin was not prepared to negotiate an end to his four-and-a-half-year war in Ukraine. They said the diesel deal announced last week could help restart trilateral talks, according to two people who spoke on condition of anonymity.
A third person said the United States told the Ukrainians that the diesel deal could help “soften” Moscow’s position because it “sends a signal that Trump is open to do things” with Russia.
Under the agreement, Russia will supply more than 2.25 million barrels of diesel to US and global markets. The deal has drawn criticism from some US lawmakers, who argue that it will provide Moscow with revenue to continue its war without requiring Putin to make concessions towards ending the conflict.
Trump defended the agreement on Monday, describing it as “the right choice for the American people”. He has argued that the deal will lower US energy prices, which have become a political challenge for his Republican Party ahead of crucial midterm elections that will determine control of Congress.
During the Miami meeting, Kushner also reiterated the administration’s request for Ukraine to stop attacking Russian oil refineries, saying Washington had made the appeal several times, the two people said. Trump has claimed that Ukraine’s attacks are driving up global fuel prices, although most experts attribute the high costs primarily to the war in Iran.
“The idea was that the US could go back to Russia and say, ‘See, the Ukrainians stopped striking and we gave you this deal. Now it’s your turn to do something,’” one of the people familiar with the meeting said.
Trump announced an energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine on Sunday, days after unveiling the diesel deal. However, neither side has confirmed the ceasefire, and Russia struck energy targets inside Ukraine on Monday. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also rejected Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s proposal for a full 60-day truce.
The Russian Embassy in Washington and the presidential office in Kyiv did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A person close to the Kremlin described the diesel deal as “a way to bring Russia back” to negotiations.
One person familiar with the meeting said the diesel agreement was only part of a broader discussion on how to bring Ukraine and Russia back to the negotiating table and end the war. The meeting also addressed security guarantees for Ukraine, although no further details were provided.
Doubts about Moscow’s willingness to negotiate
Trump has repeatedly said Putin wants to reach a settlement to end the war, a position he reiterated on Saturday. However, Ukrainian and European officials have expressed doubts about the Russian leader’s willingness to end the military campaign in the near future.
The envoys’ reported assessment that Putin was not prepared to end the war suggests that Trump’s position may not be universally shared within his administration.
Some experts have also questioned whether the diesel agreement would significantly lower fuel prices in the United States, noting that the additional supply would amount to less than a day’s consumption by the US transport sector alone.
Ukrainian officials who attended the Miami meeting were sceptical of Washington’s approach, which they viewed as an attempt to appease Russia through commercial deals, according to two people briefed on the meeting and one participant.
The Trump administration has previously attempted to persuade Putin through proposals involving sanctions relief and potential mineral deals. However, neither initiative has substantially changed Russia’s core demands or persuaded Moscow to accept a comprehensive ceasefire.
A person close to the Kremlin said Putin would only return to negotiations when “he gets the remaining 11% of Donbas, which he can present domestically as victory”.
Ukraine has maintained that it will not surrender additional territory to Russia, although it has indicated that freezing the conflict along the existing front lines could provide a basis for a peace agreement.
No threat to withdraw US support for Kyiv
During the Miami meeting, Kushner and Witkoff emphasised the assistance the United States had provided to Ukraine, including military and intelligence support, one of the people familiar with the discussions said.
The Americans did not threaten to withdraw that support if Ukraine refused to stop attacking Russian refineries, according to the two people briefed on the meeting and one participant.
The meeting, which also involved European officials and virtual participation by representatives of the World Bank, followed visits by Witkoff and Kushner to Moscow and Kyiv in September. Witkoff said at the time that the discussions had created “new momentum” and that another round of negotiations could begin soon.
The World Bank declined to comment.
Tensions between Washington and Kyiv have increased since the announcement of the US-Russia diesel deal. Zelenskiy described the agreement as a “weak decision” by the United States and a “gift to Putin”.
Trump responded on Saturday by saying Zelenskiy “could have settled this war many times” and that Ukrainians needed to “get a new president”.
Part of the Miami meeting, which lasted several hours, focused on reconstruction funding for Ukraine and the need for Kyiv to formalise its investment plans, according to people briefed on the discussions.
The Ukrainian officials left the meeting without making any formal commitments but indicated that they would be willing to agree to an energy ceasefire, provided Russia did the same.
Credit: Reuters
