Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned that President Donald Trump’s diesel agreement with Russia could pave the way for broader economic deals and further sanctions relief, as one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s top envoys publicly pushes for expanded cooperation between Moscow and Washington.
“In my view, we cannot accept these agreements. Because gas deals will follow. And I am absolutely certain of this. After gas, they will lift sanctions on other things as well,” Zelensky told reporters in Brussels on Friday.
He said his concerns extended beyond energy. “It will all come down to the banking system, individual people, and the chemical industry.”
The warning comes after Kirill Dmitriev, Putin’s investment envoy and a key figure in talks between Russia and the United States, told reporters on Wednesday that the diesel deal could serve as a model for further agreements and that Moscow intended to continue its economic engagement with Washington.
Dmitriev also said Friday that discussions were already underway over how sanctions could be lifted. “Brainstorming sessions are already underway regarding how to lift these sanctions—that is exactly what the United States is currently working on,” he said at the Russian Energy Week conference in Moscow, according to Reuters.
The comments point to the same possible next step from starkly different perspectives: Moscow sees the diesel deal as a model for wider economic ties, while Kyiv warns it could lead to a broader easing of economic pressure on Russia.
Newsweek has contacted the White House, U.S. Treasury Department, Russian Embassy in Washington and Ukrainian Embassy in Washington for comment.
Zelensky Warns Diesel Deal Could Be Just the Beginning
Trump announced the diesel agreement on October 9 following what he described as a “highly successful discussion” with Putin. The arrangement is intended to increase Russian diesel supplies to U.S. and global markets in an effort to reduce fuel prices.
The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control subsequently issued General License 135, authorizing certain transactions involving Russian-origin diesel.
Trump has defended the agreement amid criticism from members of both parties, arguing that increasing global diesel supplies could lower prices.
“Well, I think these are Republicans that can’t really be serious,” Trump said Monday at the White House, referring to GOP lawmakers opposed to the deal. “It’s not really a deal with me. It’s a deal for the rest of the world.”
He added: “Anything that could help our farmers, our ranchers, I like.”
The White House previously told Newsweek that Trump had negotiated the arrangement to “supply the global market with massive amounts of diesel and bring prices down,” saying lowering costs for farmers, truckers and families remained a priority.
Zelensky has argued that easing restrictions on Russian diesel would instead provide Moscow with additional revenue for its war.
Speaking at a European Union summit in Brussels on Friday, he said cash would begin flowing back to Russia through the diesel agreement and that it would put more money “straight into Putin’s pocket to fund this war.”
His latest comments went further by arguing that the diesel agreement could be followed by additional economic arrangements and sanctions relief.
“Because gas deals will follow,” Zelensky said. “And I am absolutely certain of this. After gas, they will lift sanctions on other things as well.”
Putin Envoy Sees Diesel as Model for Wider Cooperation
Dmitriev’s comments do not establish that the Trump administration plans the specific steps Zelensky predicted.
But the Russian official has made clear that Moscow sees the diesel arrangement as a possible model for broader U.S.-Russia economic cooperation.
Dmitriev said there were now so many layers of sanctions on Russia that navigating them had become difficult.
“There are so many layers of sanctions piled on top of one another that everyone has become confused; it’s difficult now to figure out how to navigate a way out of this situation,” he said.
The U.S. Treasury had asked the Russian Direct Investment Fund, which Dmitriev heads, to help resolve payment issues related to the diesel agreement, he told Reuters.
The Treasury request concerns implementation of the existing diesel deal, not additional agreements. But it comes as Dmitriev publicly advocates broader economic ties and discusses removing sanctions that complicate cooperation.
Zelensky’s warnings come amid a wider deterioration in his relationship with Trump. Trump criticized the Ukrainian leader on Thursday over Kyiv’s renewed strikes on Russian oil facilities, calling the attacks a “disgrace” and arguing they were pushing up global oil prices.
The dispute has increasingly put energy policy at the center of tensions between Washington and Kyiv: Ukraine has sought to deprive Moscow of energy revenue, while Trump has emphasized lowering fuel prices and increasing supply ahead of the U.S. midterm elections.
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Graham Act Could Complicate Broader Russia Ties
Even Dmitriev acknowledged that any effort to expand economic relations faces a significant barrier in Washington: the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026.
The law expanded sanctions and tariff powers targeting Russia, including authority for tariffs of up to 100 percent on major purchasers of Russian oil and natural gas.
Dmitriev said the law would effectively prohibit investment cooperation between Russia and the United States.
“This law clearly hinders Russian-American projects, as well as the role both nations play in stabilizing energy markets and operating within the global marketplace,” he said.
His comments come as the diesel agreement itself faces bipartisan opposition in Congress.
A group of 22 House lawmakers urged Trump on Thursday to revoke the diesel authorization and fully implement the Graham Act, arguing that the administration should not issue further general licenses reopening Russian energy transactions.
“We urge the Administration to revoke this license and not issue further general licenses that reopen Russian energy transactions and restore revenue to the Kremlin’s war chest,” the lawmakers wrote.
The dispute has also raised questions over how the diesel agreement fits with the sanctions law.
Republican Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina told NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday that there was a “legitimate case” for saying Trump was “not following the law.”
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent rejected that argument, saying the administration had the authority to implement the diesel agreement.
“Anyone in Congress who says whether it’s an old bill or the current Lindsey Graham bill [that] prohibits us from doing it is wrong,” Bessent told Fox News’ Fox & Friends.
The White House previously told Newsweek, when asked about its plans for implementing the Graham law: “The President signed the act and the administration will comply with the act’s requirements.”
The emerging question now goes beyond whether Trump’s diesel deal survives that opposition. Dmitriev is publicly presenting the agreement as a potential starting point for wider economic cooperation, while Zelensky is warning that allowing the relationship to expand could lead to successive deals and broader sanctions relief for Moscow.
Newsweek reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here. Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Edward T. Cummins