Trump also called for Ukraine to hold an election after urging it to replace President Volodymyr Zelensky, blaming Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries for high diesel prices and harm to American farmers. “I think it's time for Ukraine to get a new president,” Trump said Saturday. Zelensky called the diesel deal “not fair and not honest” and said Ukraine would stop attacking Russian refineries if Moscow stopped destroying Ukrainian energy infrastructure.
The Treasury’s sanctions waiver permits Russian diesel transactions through April 7, 2027, though Senator Jeanne Shaheen has challenged its compatibility with the 2022 ban on Russian energy imports. Shipping data cited by maritime journalist Michelle Wiese Bockmann indicate a tanker carrying about 280,000 barrels of Russian diesel and gasoil may be heading to the US East Coast. Russia’s diesel and gasoil exports fell to 190,000 BPD in the third quarter from 690,000 BPD in the second, Vortexa data show.