U.S. President Donald Trump used a Truth Social post on Oct. 18 to defend decisions that have eased pressure on Moscow: a sanctions waiver, a diesel purchase deal and pressure on Ukraine to stop striking Russian oil refineries. He said he’s negotiating peace and won’t do anything that could, in his words, “foolishly” drive Russia from the bargaining table.
For European capitals shouldering a growing share of Ukraine’s defence, the post sends a blunt signal about Washington’s priorities.
What Trump Said
“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!”
Trump defended the diesel deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying Moscow was “sending, at a low price, millions of barrels of diesel to the World.” Russia, he said, was 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.” According to the post, Iran is at war with the United States.
The Fuel Price Argument
Trump blamed Kyiv for market pain. “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,” he wrote.
The account reporting the post offered a different explanation. It said the war in Iran was pushing global fuel prices higher, including prices paid by U.S. consumers, and that Trump had sought to blame Ukraine as midterm elections approached. The account said evidence pointed to the Iran war as the primary driver of the price surge. The president’s explanation and the reported evidence, then, point in opposite directions.
Pressure on Kyiv
Trump also accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of not wanting to end the war. “He could have made a better deal two years ago than he can now,” Trump wrote. “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!”
The source gives “two years ago” only as a relative date, without linking it to a specific event. The report identified the story as developing.
Why This Matters:
The post links Ukraine policy to U.S. fuel prices and a separate war with Iran, while asking Kyiv to bear the cost by holding back attacks on Russian refineries. For European governments, that’s a practical problem. If Washington eases sanctions and leans on Ukraine while negotiations continue, EU budgets and national treasuries will shoulder more of the burden of supplying Kyiv and keeping Europe’s own defences credible. Europe must invest in its own security, rather than assume steady American support. One question remains unanswered in the source: will peace built by pressuring the weaker party hold, or simply reopen the conflict later at Europe’s expense?
- donald trump
- volodymyr zelensky
- russia-ukraine war
- vladimir putin
- russia sanctions
- diesel prices
- ukraine attacks
- peace negotiations