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WASHINGTON — President Trump’s decision to ease sanctions on Russian diesel deliveries will actually put more pressure on the Kremlin, Energy Secretary Chris Wright claimed Sunday.
Wright contended that bringing down hurdles for Russia to sell diesel will motivate the Kremlin to ease up on its war efforts so that it doesn’t have to face Ukrainian strikes on its energy infrastructure.
“This is pressuring Russia. Russia does not have diesel to export. The only way they can get additional diesel to export is if they tone down the conflict with Ukraine,” Wright told CNN’s “State of the Union.”
“They have to either get an energy ceasefire, they have to either end the war, or they have to reduce their war efforts, so they have additional diesel to export.”
Critics, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, argued the opposite, contending that relieving sanctions on Russia will only embolden dictator Vladimir Putin by allowing more money to flow into his war machine.
Trump announced an energy ceasefire last Sunday — something that caught Ukraine by surprise. Ukrainian officials claimed to have abided by it for several days, but resumed attacks on Russian refineries after the Kremlin attacked a power plant and civilian gas stations.
“The war has gone on for four and a half years. And so what President Trump is trying to do is find what different way will lead to peace,” Wright explained.
“This is quite innovative, actually. What does the world need most of all for energy right now? Diesel. What is Russia not able to supply right now? Diesel,” he added. “This is a motivation for Russia to figure out how they can actually export some diesel.”
Facing political pressure over rising diesel costs heading into the midterm elections, Trump had announced a deal earlier this month to ease up some sanctions on Russian diesel.
The relief would allow 300,000 tons of diesel from Russia to move in October, 500,000 tons during November and 1,000,000 tons thereafter, according to Trump’s announcement. The White House has noted that the diesel would flow into the global market, not the US.
“That diesel is going to be sold one way or the other,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters Saturday evening. “The diesel that Putin was going to sell, they were going to make it available to the global market one way or the other.”
“The only difference is how much of it the United States was going to get.”
Diesel is currently averaging a near-record high of $6.33 a gallon in the US, which has become a significant problem for farmers, according to data from the American Automobile Association.
Wright and other Trump administration officials have blamed the high diesel prices on Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries, which are largely a form of retaliation for Moscow’s attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
The Iran war is also a major factor in the shortage of diesel fuel worldwide, analysts say.
In addition to the diesel deal, Trump also took the dramatic step Friday to prevent certain secondary sanctions in the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia Act from taking effect. Trump had signed that law into effect just last month.
“It’s about economic sanctions on countries that trade with Russia. There’s two of those that are meaningful, China and India,” Wright explained. “He [Trump] didn’t end the Lindsey Graham sanctions. He’s just suspended the enforcement of that for now.”
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is urging Trump to reconsider both actions.
“I hope that he will change his decisions, change his attitude to Putin,” Zelensky told NBC News’ “Meet the Press” in an interview that aired Sunday.
“We waited from the very beginning of his presidential term that he will change his attitude to Putin. For us, it’s important and essential, absolutely,” he added. “We can’t compare me and Putin. He’s [the] aggressor. He occupied us. He killed adults and children, his soldiers. He’s a terrorist.”