APA
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Trump announces Russian diesel deal with Putin in call that rejected peace talks, Zelensky calls it "birthday gift"
On October 9, US President Donald Trump announced a phone call with Vladimir Putin in which the two leaders agreed to a deal supplying millions of tons of Russian diesel fuel to the US and global markets, announced via Truth Social ahead of the November 3 midterm elections. According to Putin aide Yuri Ushakov, Putin rejected any resumption of peace negotiations and said Russia would continue fighting until Ukraine capitulates, while Trump congratulated Putin on his birthday during the call. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky sharply criticized the deal as a "birthday gift to Putin" and a sign of "obvious weakness," accusing the US of using parallel Miami peace talks as a "facade" for the arrangement.