Trump pressures Ukraine to halt strikes on Russian oil, lifts diesel sanctions, urges new Ukrainian president
US President Donald Trump announced an "energy ceasefire" between Ukraine and Russia on October 11 and, separately, agreed with Vladimir Putin to lift sanctions on Russian diesel fuel imports. When Ukraine refused to stop strikes on Russian oil refineries, Trump threatened to halt intelligence sharing and arms sales, publicly called for Ukraine to elect a new president, and pushed Kyiv to accept terms Ukrainian officials describe as capitulation. Russia struck a Kharkiv power station within hours of the announced ceasefire, and neither Moscow nor Kyiv formally confirmed that a binding deal exists.
Key points
- 9 October: Trump and Putin agree by phone to supply 300,000–3 million tonnes of Russian diesel to US and global markets, partly by lifting sanctions.
- 11 October: Trump announces an "energy ceasefire" between Ukraine and Russia; within hours Russia hits the TEC-5 power plant in Kharkiv and strikes Pisochyn, killing 3 and injuring more than 20.
- Neither the Kremlin nor Kyiv confirms a binding agreement; Zelensky says he learned of the deal from social media and any de-escalation must be mutual.
- Trump threatens to halt intelligence sharing and end the program under which Ukrainian partners buy US-made weapons unless Kyiv stops strikes on Russian oil refineries.
- Trump publicly calls for Ukraine to "elect a new president," saying Zelensky is an obstacle to a deal; Zelensky calls Trump's diesel decision a "gift" to Putin and "unfair and dishonest."
- 12 October: EU foreign ministers impose sanctions on nearly 1,600 new individuals and entities linked to Russia's military-industrial complex; more than half are tied to Russian ballistic missile production.
- Trump says he will "force" Zelensky and Putin to make a deal and that, in his view, Putin is more interested in one than Zelensky is.
Why it matters
Trump is using energy, intelligence, and arms-sale leverage to push Ukraine to stop strikes on Russian oil refineries and accept a settlement Ukrainian officials and analysts describe as capitulation. The public call for Ukraine to replace its wartime president is an unusually direct intervention in a US ally's politics, and the lifting of Russian diesel sanctions — against the 2022 congressional ban on Russian energy imports — marks a sharp turn toward Moscow on the eve of US midterm elections.
What happened
On 9 October, after a phone call with Vladimir Putin, President Trump announced an agreement to supply between 300,000 and 3 million tonnes of Russian diesel fuel to US and global markets and to lift some US sanctions to allow those imports. On 11 October he announced that Ukraine and Russia had agreed to an "energy ceasefire" halting strikes on each other's oil refineries. Within hours, Russian forces struck the TEC-5 thermal power plant in Kharkiv and the village of Pisochyn in Kharkiv Oblast, killing three and injuring more than twenty. Neither the Kremlin nor Kyiv formally confirmed a binding deal; Zelensky said Ukraine learned of the arrangement from social media and that any de-escalation must be mutual. As Zelensky refused to halt Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries, Trump threatened to suspend US intelligence sharing and end the program through which Ukrainian partners purchase American weapons, and publicly said it was "time for Ukraine to elect a new president." Speaking to journalists overnight on 12–13 October at Joint Base Andrews, Trump said he would "force" Zelensky and Putin to reach a deal, claimed violations of the energy ceasefire had come from "both sides," and described the diesel deal as one made "not for my personal benefit but for the rest of the world." On 12 October, EU foreign ministers imposed sanctions on nearly 1,600 new individuals and entities linked to Russia's military-industrial complex, more than half tied to Russian ballistic missile production. Zelensky called the diesel deal a "gift" to Putin and "unfair and dishonest."
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian outlets and commentators frame the diesel deal as a "gift" to Putin and a weak US decision, stress Zelensky's insistence that any de-escalation must be mutual, and note Ukraine's repeated ceasefire offers against Russia's refusal to negotiate. Analysts, including former ambassador Oleg Shamshur, warn that the room for anti-crisis leverage is narrow and will narrow further if Republicans lose the midterms, and call for firm European support — funding for weapons purchases and direct contact with Trump — to try to hold him back. Several commentators argue the announced ceasefire is asymmetric because Ukraine has only one non-operating refinery while Russia has an extensive network, and accuse Trump of seeking business deals with Moscow and shifting blame for US fuel prices onto Ukraine.
Where reporting differs
Trump maintains Ukraine and Russia both agreed to an "energy ceasefire" because "I said: 'You agree.'" The Kremlin said only that "contacts" were ongoing and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov added that Russia "will not give Ukraine a respite on the battlefield"; Zelensky said he had not heard confirmation of Russia's agreement. Trump blames Ukraine for blocking talks and calls for a new Ukrainian president; Zelensky and other commentators counter that Ukraine has repeatedly offered ceasefires while Russia has refused any ceasefire or substantive talks, and that de-escalation must be mutual. Analysts differ on the credibility of Trump's leverage: some argue he is unlikely to indefinitely suspend intelligence sharing or arms sales given US industry financial interests, while others warn he could cut intelligence or pressure Elon Musk to disable Starlink if politically cornered. On the diesel deal itself, Trump and the White House present it as a measure to lower US fuel prices, while analysts assess the promised volumes would not meaningfully move US or global prices and that the main cause of price spikes is the Middle East war and Hormuz disruption.
Background
US diesel prices hit record levels in late September 2026 amid the US-led war against Iran and disruption of Middle Eastern oil routes, making fuel prices the central issue of the midterm campaign; Silver Bulletin projected Democrats at 93% to retake the House and 74% to take the Senate. Trump had long promoted a "big deal" with Russia from his first term. In 2022 Congress banned imports of Russian energy sources, the legal backdrop to the sanctions-lifting decision. Ukraine has only one oil refinery, not operating at full capacity and repeatedly struck by Russia, versus Russia's extensive refinery network — a structural asymmetry the oil-refinery-only ceasefire would entrench.