Trump backstabs Zelensky for five minutes of midterm relief
Deal with Putin for Russia’s oil might soften the markets but Ukraine will pay the price
Iona Cleave
US Correspondent
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Iona Cleave
Published 10 October 2026 2:03am BST
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Zelensky, whose negotiators were in Florida when Trump announced his diesel deal with Putin, said the plan was 'weak'
Volodymyr Zelensky, whose negotiators were in Florida when Donald Trump announced his diesel deal with Putin, said the plan was ‘weak’ Credit: Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images
It was late Friday afternoon, with about an hour to go before US markets closed for the weekend. Naturally, it was time for Donald Trump to make a big announcement.
“I have just concluded a highly successful discussion with President Vladimir Putin, of Russia, wherein it was agreed that Russia will immediately supply over 300,000 Tons of Diesel Fuel to the American and Global Marketplace,” he wrote on Truth Social. Better yet, there was more fuel to come after that, Mr Trump teased.
The result? “Prices for Americans and, indeed, the World, will be COMING DOWN, IN RECORD NUMBERS, AND FAST!” he said.
As Mr Trump desired, diesel futures took a small dip (4 per cent) – a paltry concession for American voters struggling with the soaring prices of a fuel that underpins transport and food costs.
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With just three weeks before the midterm elections, Mr Trump’s last-ditch effort to win back his tumbling support base appears more desperate than meaningful. Last weekend, his approval ratings hit a historical low at 32 per cent. He is widely expected to lose control of Congress, come Nov 3.
In reality, the fuel numbers Mr Trump touted are small relative to global demand. The shortages are largely driven by the president’s war with Iran, but amplified by Ukraine’s successful drone strikes on Russian oil facilities that have curtailed its refining capacity.
“It is the latest empty gesture after a week of hollow rhetoric,” said Tom Kloza, a veteran oil analyst.
“The Trump administration wants to be perceived as having an ‘all-hands on deck’ approach,” he said. But it cannot edit reality.
Citing Russia’s significantly degraded refining capacity, Mr Kloza does not expect Russia would be exporting diesel soon or that there will be any lasting drop in prices tied to his statement.
Where his plan may hold some sway is in the mind of the voter. Mr Trump has twice propelled himself to the White House (three – if you ask him) by speaking to the working classes. But whether a brief promise of fiscal relief turns into votes remains to be seen.
And for those five minutes of respite, Ukraine will pay an outsized price.
Volodymyr Zelensky, whose negotiating team was talking to US officials in Florida at the time of the announcement, called the deal “weak” and a “gift to Putin”. A spokesman said the Ukrainian leader had been blindsided by the announcement.
“At this very moment, while we are talking about peace, America is allowing Russia to export diesel… all of that money goes toward the war against people, against Ukraine, against all of us,” Mr Zelensky raged.
Only last month, he made an in-person appeal to Mr Trump to tighten the screws on Putin and cut Russia off from its main war revenue – oil.
Instead, eyebrows will be raised in Washington and European capitals over the White House’s apparent decision to provide economic relief to the Kremlin.
Robert Price, chief executive of Texas-based Greenland Energy Company, criticised it as a short-sighted move.
“Are we strengthening our supply security or giving an adversary more leverage?” he asked. “The answer should be more domestic capacity and more supply options from trusted partners, not simply finding the cheapest available cargo during a crisis.”
The problem multiplies if other countries see the agreement as permission to turn to Russia to bring fuel prices down in extreme circumstances.
For the Democrats, it serves as useful ground for them to imply Mr Trump is betraying Ukraine and carrying out dubious dealings with his preferred despot.
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“This agreement with a murdering dictator is a stain on our nation’s character, an insult to Lindsey Graham’s memory, and directly contrary to Congress’s intent in our bipartisan sanctions bill,” Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat, said, referring to legislation Mr Trump signed last month to punish countries for importing Russian oil.
For all his appearances of calm, Mr Trump is well aware that US refineries are running on overdrive (hitting 95 per cent capacity) and yet it is still not enough to ease the pressure on markets.
Most US voters are also aware that their military is not in “TOTAL CONTROL of the Strait of Hormuz” as his Friday announcement claimed. Fuel is moving through the critical global chokepoint under threat of Iranian attacks at a sluggish pace.
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What’s more, he has become electoral kryptonite for most Republicans. He visited Texas – once a safe territory – no less than three times in four weeks to throw his weight behind Ken Paxton, his hand-picked Senate candidate. Mr Paxton, incidentally, has been grumbling that he loses votes whenever his blond-haired friend shows up to support him.
As Mr Trump turns his attention to the campaign trail at the weekend, Putin, meanwhile, has to figure out where these 300,000 tons of diesel are coming from.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/politics/2026/10/10/trump-betrays-zelensky-diesel-deal-putin/
