Trump lifted Russian fuel ban after Zelensky rejected his demands – Axios

‘Half a dozen’ calls for Kiev to stop strikes on oil refineries have reportedly been rejected US President Donald Trump has approved a temporary waiver of sanctions on Russian fuel exports.

The move came after Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky ignored multiple requests to stop strikes on Russian oil refineries, Axios has reported, citing a US official with direct knowledge of the matter.

Trump has persistently blamed Ukraine, and Zelensky personally, for exacerbating the global fuel crisis, accusing authorities in Kiev of deliberately targeting Russian refining facilities and driving up prices for American consumers.

Despite repeated warnings from Washington, the Ukrainian leader pledged earlier this month to ramp up the long-range strikes.

“The attacks on the refineries cause pain in Russia, but it causes pain for the US, too,” the US official told the news outlet.

US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner reportedly warned Ukrainian negotiators during eight hours of talks in Miami earlier this week that Trump planned to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin and lift sanctions on Russian diesel exports.

Read more ‘Immediate win for both presidents’ – expert on US-Russia diesel deal (VIDEO) A Ukrainian official told Axios that Witkoff and Kushner threatened to cut off US intelligence sharing with Kiev if it continued to ignore Trump’s requests to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries, but the US official denied that any such threat had been made.

The media outlet cited the official as saying that the dispute over the diesel deal emerged as the US mediators conducted constructive talks on ending the conflict with Ukrainian and European diplomats.

The negotiations reportedly focused on finalizing security guarantees for Ukraine from the US, Europe, and NATO, as well as new territorial proposals.

The official added that Witkoff and Kushner had presented postwar plans covering Ukraine’s reconstruction, military funding, and budget deficits, while participants discussed Kiev’s potential EU accession, its future relationship with NATO, and a possible postwar security framework between Europe and Russia.

Trump and Putin held a phone call on Friday, shortly after which the US Treasury Department announced a temporary waiver of sanctions on Russian fuel trade, allowing diesel to be sold, delivered, and exported, including into the US, until at least April 7, 2027.