Editor's Note: This is a developing story.
U.S. President Donald Trump took to his social media platform Truth Social on Oct. 18 to defend his recent decisions regarding Russia — including the waiving of sanctions, a deal to buy diesel, and intense pressure on Ukraine to stop targeting oil refineries.
The pro-Kremlin moves have sparked outrage and alarm in both Ukraine and the U.S., as Russia continues battering Ukrainian cities and makes no concessions towards a peace agreement in exchange for Trump's sanctions relief.
But this is all part of Trump's diplomatic plan, the U.S. president claimed in his post.
"My decision on Russia is a very simple one," he wrote on Truth Social.
"I am in the process of negotiating Peace in the war between Russia and Ukraine, and don't want to do anything that will drive, foolishly, Russia away from the bargaining table. Great progress is being made, and that includes current hostage negotiations!"
Trump defended his diesel deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin by saying that Moscow is not helping Iran in the war with U.S., but is rather helping the international community by "sending, at a low price, millions of barrels of diesel to the World."
"Russia is doing very little, if anything, to help the Islamic Republic of Iran, compared to what they could be doing, and I want to keep it that way, and will, unless stupid people get in the way," he wrote.
With the war in Iran driving up global fuel prices, including for U.S. consumers, Trump has sought to pin the blame on another target as midterm elections approach. His choice was Ukraine — specifically, the country's increasingly successful strike campaign on Russian oil refineries.
"Zelensky is using Diesel Refineries in Russia as a target, knowing that these attacks are seriously hurting the world diesel markets, including those in the United States," Trump said in his post, despite evidence that the war in Iran is the primary driver of the price surge.
Trump then doubled down on criticism of President Volodymyr Zelensky, accusing the Ukrainian leader of not wanting to end the war at all.
"He could have made a better deal two years ago than he can now. His country is in shambles, a large portion of his land is lost, his oceans and seas are gone, and his male population is low, wounded, and/or dead. I WANT THIS WAR END!"