US President Donald Trump with Russian President Vladimir Putin
Russia and the United States are preparing to announce new joint initiatives beyond their recently agreed diesel deal, Russian President Vladimir Putin's investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev said on Friday.The two countries are discussing collaborative data centre projects, including facilities powered by electricity generated by Russian nuclear power plants, Dmitriev said at an energy conference.He added that the projects would be launched before the end of what Moscow calls its “special military operation” in Ukraine.The announcements after USA’s recent deal to import diesel from Russia.Trump said last week that Russia had agreed to supply diesel to global markets to help bring down fuel prices.
Moscow subsequently partially lifted its ban on diesel exports from October 10 following the agreement.On Thursday, Kremlin said its diesel had begun reaching international markets following the agreement with Trump. Dmitry said the supplies could help stabilise oil markets, although they would not be sufficient to achieve full market stability, Reuters reported.Dmitriev also said the US treasury had asked the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), which he heads, to facilitate payments linked to the agreement between Putin and US President Donald Trump on Russian diesel supplies.
The arrangement has drawn criticism from Kyiv, which has stepped up attacks on Russian energy infrastructure in an effort to reduce the revenue funding Moscow's war in Ukraine.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy opposed the diesel agreement, warning that it could pave the way for a gas deal. Speaking at an EU summit in Brussels, he said he could not accept the arrangement and asked, “If I don't stand up to this...
who else will?”, the BBC reported."It will all come down to the banking system, individuals and the chemical industry," he added.Trump on Monday had defended his administration's decision to allow Russian diesel supplies to the United States, saying it had acted in the interests of the American people.