According to the US official, Trump has repeatedly asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to cease attacks on oil refineries in Russia. However, Kyiv has ignored around six such requests. This was reported by RBC-Ukraine, citing Axios.
Some other US sources have sought to tone down the wording, claiming that Trump has focused on the cause-and-effect relationship: strikes on Russian oil refining infrastructure are driving up fuel prices in the US. The US leader claims that attacks on Russian oil refineries “hurt the US”. At the same time, he allegedly does not consider Ukrainian attacks on refineries to be equivalent to Russian strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
“Zelenskyy is misjudging the situation. By continuing to strike oil refineries, he is undermining the goodwill towards him that he has built up with Trump over the past six months,” said an unnamed US official.
At the same time, it is alleged that the warning about Ukraine potentially being cut off from the US intelligence-sharing system if strikes on Russian oil refineries continue was, once again, brought to the world’s attention by an unnamed Ukrainian official.
Be that as it may, attempts to tone down the US President’s remarks are changing the form, but not the substance, of the message.
The bottom line remains the US Treasury Department’s decision to authorise the supply of Russian diesel fuel until April 2027. The department is already issuing a temporary licence for this ‘deal’.
Meanwhile, negotiations between the US authorities and their Ukrainian and European counterparts have concluded ahead of schedule. According to Axios, Witkoff and Kushner are considering visiting Moscow and Kyiv next week to discuss new peace proposals.
The US official noted that Washington continues to seek a deal that could persuade Putin to end the war. “Putin is dealing heavy blows to Ukraine, but we believe he is open to discussing an end to the war. We want to draw up a new proposal that will be acceptable enough for him to agree to stop,” said the US official.
This story was translated with the assistance of artificial intelligence.The translation was also reviewed by the Logos Press editorial team.
Follow our updates
Have information for the newsroom? Share it with Logos-Press
Comments
0No comments yet. You can start the conversation.
Comments are open to readers with a Logos Press account.
Sign in to comment