Trump-Putin diesel deal: EU foreign ministers stand by sanctions on Russia
Meeting in Luxembourg, EU foreign ministers voiced concern over a U.S. waiver for Russian diesel. Kallas called for more pressure on Moscow rather than concessions.
Archive image · Photo: Derek French / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 (cropped and resized)
EU foreign ministers meeting in Luxembourg on Monday reacted critically to an agreement between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. According to Euronews, Russia is to release 300,000 tonnes of diesel to the United States and world markets at first, 500,000 tonnes in November and one million tonnes after that. Washington issued a broad sanctions waiver for Russian diesel until April 2027. Trump also announced an energy ceasefire initially meant to cover refineries.
The ministers stressed that the EU will keep applying its sanctions on Russia. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas called the United States the EU's biggest ally but said only "putting more pressure on Russia" could end the war. Irish Foreign Minister Helen McEntee called the deal "concerning," and Sweden's Maria Malmer Stenergard said she regretted it. Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys said it was "not the European way."
Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said the energy ceasefire was not working and linked the deal to the domestic situation in the U.S. ahead of the midterm elections. The EU recently adopted its largest-ever addition to its sanctions list, covering some 1,600 people and entities in Russia's military-industrial complex.