Zelenskyy warns Russian diesel exemption could lead to wider sanctions relief

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at an EU summit in Brussels on 16 October that Ukraine could not accept what he called a US-Russia “diesel deal”. He warned that it could be followed by agreements on gas and the lifting of sanctions affecting banks, individuals and the chemical industry. Those further concessions are his prediction, not decisions announced alongside the diesel measure. [5]

The concrete US step is a licence issued on 9 October allowing transactions related to the sale, delivery, offloading and importation of diesel of Russian origin under specified sanctions regulations. It runs until 7 April 2027. The licence sets no volume or delivery timetable, and it does not permit debits to accounts at US financial institutions held by Russia’s central bank, National Wealth Fund or finance ministry. It is an exemption for diesel transactions, not a general easing of financial sanctions. [2]

Zelenskyy said the diesel arrangement had surprised Ukraine and that Kyiv had not been informed in advance. He also said Ukraine had supported an energy ceasefire and had asked Washington for anti-ballistic missiles to protect its energy facilities if no such ceasefire took hold; he said he had not received them. [5] [6]

EU leaders, meanwhile, voiced opposition to easing their own sanctions. European Council President António Costa said it was no time to relieve pressure on Russia, while European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU would not lift sanctions unless Russia stopped the war. Their position does not determine future US policy, but it leaves the wider relaxation Zelenskyy fears an open question rather than an agreed next step. [3] [5]