Zelenskyy condemned the agreement announced Friday by U.S.President Donald J. Trump following talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, warning that additional energy revenues would enable Moscow to continue its military campaign.
“Gifts to Putin will not bring peace or any benefit to the civilised world,” Zelenskyy wrote on social media platform X. He described allowing Russia to sell petroleum products as an investment in prolonging the war rather than ending it.
His criticism came as rescue workers searched the rubble of residential buildings in the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, where Russian glide bombs killed civilians, including a six-year-old girl whose grandfather wept as rescuers recovered her body.
“Her birthday would have been at the end of the month,” Anatoliy Chumniy, the girl’s grandfather, said through tears as emergency workers continued searching the wreckage.
Ukrainian officials said 14 people were wounded in the attack, which struck several locations in Zaporizhzhia, an industrial city whose outskirts lie less than 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the frontline.
Zelenskyy linked the bloodshed to Washington’s decision to ease economic pressure on Moscow, accusing Russia of effectively thanking the United States by dropping five glide bombs on residential buildings.
He warned that Moscow interpreted any easing of sanctions as permission to continue attacking Ukrainian cities rather than an incentive to negotiate an end to the fighting.
Trump defended the agreement with Putin as necessary to bring down soaring American diesel prices, which have risen sharply amid the US conflict with Iran and disruptions to international energy supplies.
Higher diesel costs have affected American farmers, truck drivers and businesses transporting goods, raising concerns about inflation ahead of November’s congressional elections.
Trump said Russia would immediately supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel to American and global markets, followed by another 500,000 tons in November, one million tons shortly afterward and a further three million tons within a relatively short period, depending on Russian refinery conditions.
“Diesel Prices for Americans and, indeed, the World, will be COMING DOWN, IN RECORD NUMBERS, AND FAST!”,
Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
“Lower prices for Americans, especially our Great Farmers, Ranchers, and Truckers, is my Greatest Priority,” Trump added.
The agreement came amid disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for international oil supplies, which have contributed to higher energy prices worldwide.
The U.S.Treasury Department subsequently issued a temporary license allowing transactions involving Russian diesel through April 7, 2027, easing restrictions imposed on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.
Zelenskyy expressed frustration that the agreement was announced while Ukrainian and European representatives were meeting American officials in Miami to discuss proposals for ending the war.
The discussions involved Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, his son-in-law, as Washington continued efforts to negotiate a settlement between Kyiv and Moscow.
“I believe our team is simply being used as a front. And that is certainly not fair, nor is it how partners should treat each other,” Zelenskyy told reporters through the WhatsApp messaging service.
“In my view, it is a weak decision on the part of strong partners,” he added, warning that the arrangement would provide Russia with additional funds for military operations.
The agreement also drew criticism from American lawmakers, including Democrats who accused Trump of undermining sanctions designed to restrict Russia’s ability to finance its invasion.
Republican Congressman Don Bacon joined the criticism, writing on X: “Propping up Putin’s war economy is morally wrong as he uses that money to bomb cities.”
The arrangement follows new American legislation allowing sanctions against individuals, financial institutions and vessels involved in Russian energy trading, although the president retains authority to grant exemptions.
Amid the controversy, Germany, Europe’s largest economy, reaffirmed its commitment to sanctions against Russia, with government spokesperson Stefan Kornelius saying Berlin would continue working with European partners on further measures while maintaining support for Ukraine.
Yet the European Union has also continued purchasing Russian energy, paying an estimated 7.88 billion euros ($9.1 billion) for Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) during the first nine months of 2026, despite its pledge to reduce Moscow’s energy revenues as the war in Ukraine continues, German environmental campaign group Urgewald reported Saturday.
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski questioned whether Moscow could fulfill the promised diesel deliveries, citing fuel shortages in the Russian capital and reports of extensive damage to the country’s refineries.
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