President Trump said late Sunday that he is delaying action on a potential agreement with Russia, arguing that moving too quickly could push Moscow away from ongoing negotiations to end its war with Ukraine.
In a written statement, Trump described his position as straightforward. “My decision on Russia is a very simple one,” he wrote. “I am in the process of negotiating Peace in the war between Russia and Ukraine, and don’t want to do anything that will drive, foolishly, Russia away from the bargaining table. Great progress is being made, and that includes current hostage negotiations! Signing that document at this time will do that, and I can sign it later, or any time that I want!”
Trump did not specify what document he was referring to or detail the terms of the agreement in question. He also did not say whether any direct meetings with Russian or Ukrainian officials are currently scheduled.
Iran Connection
The president also tied his thinking to Russia’s relationship with Iran, saying he wants Moscow to keep limiting its support for Tehran. “Russia is doing very little, if anything, to help the Islamic Republic of Iran, compared to what they could be doing, and I want to keep it that way, and will, unless stupid people get in the way,” he wrote.
Diesel Strikes a Sticking Point
Much of Trump’s statement focused on Ukraine’s campaign of strikes against Russian diesel refineries, which he said is driving up fuel costs well beyond the war zone. “Zelenskyy is using Diesel Refineries in Russia as a target, knowing that these attacks are seriously hurting the world diesel markets, including those in the United States,” Trump wrote. “Farmers, ranchers, and businesses of all kinds are suffering greatly from this, but Russia is, nevertheless, sending, at a low price, millions of barrels of diesel to the World.”
Trump went further, suggesting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has little incentive to end the fighting given the financial support he has received from Europe and, previously, the Biden administration. “Zelenskyy doesn’t care, and frankly, with all of the money that Europe is famously giving him, and that Crooked Joe Biden gave him in the past, he doesn’t want to end this war, and probably never did,” Trump wrote. “He could have made a better deal two years ago than he can now. His country is in shambles, a large portion of his land is lost, his oceans and seas are gone, and his male population is low, wounded, and/or dead.”
Trump closed the statement bluntly: “I WANT THIS WAR END! Thank you for your attention to this matter.”
Competing Pressures
The refinery strikes highlight a tension facing American policymakers. Targeting Russia’s fuel supply chain is a conventional wartime strategy for Ukraine, aimed at degrading Moscow’s logistics. But Russian diesel exports have also been a factor in keeping global fuel prices down, a dynamic the United States has an interest in preserving, particularly with the Strait of Hormuz remaining a point of tension.
Trump’s statement did not include a timeline for when he might sign any eventual agreement with Russia, nor did it clarify what specific terms remain under discussion as the war continues.
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