PRAGUE, October 12. /TASS/. Europe must wake up and join efforts to resolve the conflict in Ukraine, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis said.
"Europe must wake up and start addressing this situation as a whole, as well as take part in settling the conflict in Ukraine," the CTK news agency quoted him as saying. Commenting on the Russia-US agreement on diesel supplies, Babis called it a complete shock.
The Czech prime minister, who will represent his country at the upcoming EU summit, said Vladimir Zelensky is expected to attend the meeting in Brussels. European leaders will discuss the situation in Ukraine, but it remains to be seen whether the Russia-US agreements will lead to a change in their rhetoric, he added.
On October 9, Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump held a phone call during which they discussed, among other issues, petroleum product supplies. Putin said Russia had reaffirmed its readiness to supply oil and petroleum products to the US and global markets. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said Russia is beginning to lift its ban on diesel exports ahead of schedule and is prepared to supply 300,000 metric tons of diesel in October, 500,000 metric tons in November, and 1 million metric tons in December, with supplies potentially reaching 3 million metric tons per month in the future. The US administration is exempting Russian diesel supplies to global markets from US sanctions through April 7, 2027.