Witkoff and Jared Kushner raised the possibility of cutting US intelligence sharing unless Kyiv halted strikes on Russian refineries, the Financial Times reported. A US official denied to Axios that such a threat was made. President Volodymyr Zelensky called Trump’s sanctions relief “not fair and not honest” and said he would have supported easing energy sanctions as part of a reciprocal agreement to halt attacks on Ukrainian and Russian energy facilities during winter. Trump defended the diesel agreement, saying, “We need oil for the world.”
Treasury’s license authorizes Russian diesel transactions, including US imports, through April 7, 2027. Trump announced more than 300,000 metric tons immediately, 500,000 tons in November and 1 million tons thereafter, with another 3 million tons dependent on refinery conditions. Russia’s diesel and gasoil exports fell to 190,000 BPD in the third quarter from 690,000 BPD in the second and 850,000 BPD in the first, Vortexa data show.