U.K. and Europe Recoil From Trump’s Diesel Deal With Putin
New York Times · LC · trust 56/100
Shocked by the U.S. agreement with Russia, which Ukraine has called “a gift” to President Putin, officials in Europe have coalesced around a cautious diplomatic message.
Listen · 5:40 min Share full article 34 President Trump departing Joint Base Andrews, Md., on Saturday for a campaign rally in Clarksville, Tenn. Credit... Alex Kent/The New York Times By Michael D. Shear and Jeanna Smialek
Michael Shear reported from London and Jeanna Smialek reported from Luxembourg.
The arrangement, which President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine called “a gift” to President Putin, directly undercuts years of effort by dozens of countries — including the United States — to cut Russia off from the money that fuels Mr. Putin’s war of aggression in Ukraine.
Energy experts have said that the diesel agreement, if it goes ahead, could send some $4 billion of American money into the Russian economy.
Mr. Trump’s announcement on Friday afternoon of his “highly successful discussion” with Mr. Putin was all the more shocking in Europe as it came after Russia conducted several brutal strikes in Ukraine, killing 22 people including three babies in an apartment block on Wednesday and at least 30 people in a bus on Thursday.
For European leaders, the dilemma over the past three days has been familiar: How to support Ukraine in a moment of acute diplomatic peril, without triggering Mr. Trump’s ire?
As they scrambled for a response, they have stopped short of directly criticizing the American president and coalesced around a single diplomatic message: We are not changing our own approach to Russia, and we stand by Ukraine.
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