With elections that will decide control of Congress just weeks away and American voters already casting ballots in some battlegrounds, President Donald Trump has turned his eyes overseas – and to Russia, in particular - for help tackling one of his most pressing problems. World affairs seldom provide easy answers, however, and developments elsewhere have threatened to undermine his efforts to bring down fuel prices before they provide any political benefit. A whirlwind weekend started on Friday afternoon, as Trump announced a new deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin that would provide the US with hundreds of millions of tons of Russian diesel fuel in the coming months.
High energy prices, particularly for midwestern agricultural states that rely on diesel to power farm machinery and carry their goods to market, have been a growing source of frustration for American voters. Polls suggest they view the Iran War as the leading cause for their woes, and overall support for Trump, and approval of his handling of the war and the US economy in particular, has dropped precipitously. Trump heralded his Russian deal in a Truth Social post as bringing "lower prices for Americans," while he ordered his Treasury Department to suspend US restrictions that prevented Russian diesel from being sold on global markets.
Two days later, Trump was back on his social media website, touting a new energy ceasefire agreement between Russia and Ukraine. The truth, however, was more complicated. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had no advanced notice of the agreement, although he said his nation would abide by it.
Russia, for its part, was silent. And on Sunday night, it launched a new wave of attacks on Ukrainian power plants. "It's clear that Putin does not read Truth Social," Zelensky noted wryly on Monday.
He added: "This winter, if Russia does not agree to an energy ceasefire, we will respond." Trump and Zelensky have had a tumultuous relationship throughout his second term. The American president alternates between blaming Russia and Ukraine for the continuing conflict he previously said would be easy to end once he returned to the White House. In recent days, Zelensky has been the primary target of Trump's ire, as Ukraine's strikes on Russian oil infrastructure have contributed to worldwide energy shortages.
On Saturday, Trump told reporters at the White House that it was time for Ukraine to get a new president. And both the Financial Times, external and CNN, external have reported that the US has threatened to cut off arms sales and intelligence sharing with Ukraine if Zelensky does not halt attacks on Russian refineries. Zelensky "better damn well stop," Trump said.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
