Lithuania says Trump-Putin diesel deal weakens Western position on Russia

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys said Monday that a deal between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on diesel supplies weakens the West’s position on Russia, although he described it as less serious than other developments over the past two years.

“This latest episode is not the worst we have seen in nearly two years. But it is certainly regrettable, as it does not help achieve a coordinated sanctions policy toward Russia between Europe and the United States, and slightly weakens our position as the West,” Budrys told journalists in Luxembourg ahead of a meeting of the European Union’s Foreign Affairs Council.

Budrys said Washington had repeatedly made decisions without closely coordinating with Europe, despite the effectiveness of joint action.

“Whenever we coordinated, we saw how effective it was, but that did not always happen,” he said, adding that the latest development was not entirely new.

However, Budrys stressed that the agreement should not change the EU’s sanctions policy.

“The European Union has imposed restrictions on imports of oil products into the bloc, and we will not change our position, as we believe this is one of the more effective measures to restrict financial flows to the Russian war machine,” he said.

Trump announced Friday that he had reached an agreement with Putin on supplying large quantities of diesel in exchange for a temporary easing of US sanctions. The announcement drew criticism from Ukraine, the EU and some US lawmakers.

Budrys said Washington’s decisions could be influenced by domestic politics, including high energy prices, as well as efforts to end the war in Ukraine.

The Lithuanian minister also warned that securing funding for Ukraine would be one of Europe’s biggest challenges next year. Bilateral support from EU member states is currently at its lowest level since 2022, he said, even as Ukraine’s defence needs increase and Russian attacks continue to destroy infrastructure.

Budrys said Lithuania would honour its commitments to Ukraine and urged other EU countries not to reduce their bilateral aid because of the bloc’s financial support scheme. He acknowledged, however, that maintaining European countries’ attention and support would be difficult.

Asked whether the agreement could affect diesel prices or lead to Russian diesel entering the EU market, Budrys said he expected no significant impact. Lithuania would work to ensure the deal did not undermine the bloc’s sanctions policy, he added.