
United States President Donald Trump decided to reach a deal with Russia on diesel fuel after his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, ignored at least six American demands to stop attacks on Russian oil refineries.
This was announced to Axios by a US official with direct knowledge of the developments, according to whom Trump's decision has caused a new crisis with Ukraine and jeopardizes the US administration's efforts to end the war.
"Zelensky is misreading the situation. By continuing to hit the refineries, he is undermining the goodwill he has built with Trump over the past six months," the official said.
Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries in recent months have proven particularly effective, causing an energy crisis in Russia.
Moscow responded by banning diesel exports, which added pressure on global markets, already weighed down by the war in Iran.
Zelensky had proposed ceasing attacks on Russian refineries in exchange for a halt to Russian bombing of Ukrainian power plants.
However, according to the American official, Trump demanded that Ukraine unilaterally cease the attacks, as they were affecting the increase in fuel prices in the United States.
During eight hours of negotiations in Miami, US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner informed the Ukrainian delegation that Trump was expected to talk to Putin and lift sanctions on Russian diesel exports.
A Ukrainian official claimed that US negotiators had threatened to cut off intelligence sharing with Kiev if the attacks continued. The US side denied this claim.
"Attacks on refineries cause damage in Russia, but they also cause damage to the United States," the US official said.
Despite the clash, the negotiations in Miami included discussions on security guarantees for Ukraine, territorial settlements, reconstruction financing, strengthening the Ukrainian military, and a roadmap for the country's membership in the European Union.
The possibility of creating a new security architecture between Europe and Russia after the end of the war was also discussed.
Witkoff and Kushner are considering visits to Moscow and Kiev next week, although recent tensions could affect those plans.