Trump Defends Russia Policy, Pressures Ukraine to Yield

U.S. President Donald Trump defended waiving sanctions, a diesel deal with Russia, and pressure on Ukraine to stop attacking Russian oil refineries in a Truth Social post on Oct. 18. He cast those decisions as part of his plan to negotiate peace between Russia and Ukraine. Trump is setting out the terms publicly; he argued that Ukraine’s attacks stand in the way.

“My decision on Russia is a very simple one,” Trump wrote. “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!”

The bargain Trump is defending

Trump also defended a diesel deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin. He said Moscow wasn't helping Iran in its war with the United States, but was helping the international community by “sending, at a low price, millions of barrels of diesel to the World.” He added that “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.”

The post links sanctions, fuel sales, and refinery attacks to Trump’s stated effort to keep Russia at the bargaining table. He offered a rationale for those decisions: avoid actions that might push Moscow away and preserve the diesel supply he says Russia provides. The report doesn't describe the deal’s terms or identify which sanctions Trump waived. His explanation, though, frames those choices as part of negotiations between leaders during a war.

Fuel prices and blame

The report said the war in Iran was driving up global fuel prices, including for U.S. consumers. As midterm elections approached, Trump sought to blame Ukraine for the increase. He argued that attacks on Russian refineries were hurting diesel markets, writing: “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.”

The report, however, said the evidence pointed to the war in Iran as the primary driver of the price surge. Trump singled out Ukraine’s refinery attacks, while the report identified the Iran war as the main source of rising prices. The public dispute shifted from the price pressure facing consumers to which country’s actions should bear the blame.

A public attack on Zelensky

Trump accused President Volodymyr Zelensky of not wanting to end the war and argued Ukraine should have accepted a better deal earlier. “He could have made a better deal two years ago than he can now,” Trump wrote. He called the country “in shambles,” said it had lost a large portion of its land, and claimed its “male population is low, wounded, and/or dead.”

“I WANT THIS WAR END!” Trump wrote. His declaration came with a defense of decisions benefiting Russia’s diesel trade and a demand that Ukraine stop striking Russian refineries. The report identified the story as developing. Abbey Fenbert, Senior News Editor, wrote it.