President Donald Trump has indicated that the United States could broaden its commercial relationship with Russia once the war in Ukraine is over, as a tanker carrying Russian diesel sails toward America under his disputed agreement with Vladimir Putin.
Speaking Saturday, Trump said Washington could restore trade ties with Moscow after a peace deal is reached. His remarks came amid growing criticism of his decision to reopen the U.S. market to Russian fuel while the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine continues.
“Certainly, we’ll do business with Ukraine and with Russia after this war ends, I would think,” Trump said.
He said he hoped the two countries could “get back to life where Russia and Ukraine make a deal,” adding that the United States would then be able to conduct business with both nations.
Trump’s comments came as the first Russian diesel shipment covered by the new arrangement crossed the Atlantic. The tanker is bound for New York and is expected to arrive on November 7.
The cargo represents a sharp shift in Washington’s policy toward Moscow and has drawn anger in Kyiv. Ukrainian officials warn that the deal could give Putin additional revenue to help finance the war.
Asked Saturday about Russian interest in investing in Alaska’s natural gas sector, Trump did not directly respond to the proposal. He did, however, describe a future in which American companies once again do business in Russia.
Trump also promoted his administration’s natural resources agreement with Ukraine, saying the deal could ultimately be valued at as much as $1 trillion.
President Donald Trump has expressed support for expanding U.S. business ties with Vladimir Putin’s Russia after the war in Ukraine concludes
The first tanker carrying Russian diesel to the United States under Trump’s agreement with Moscow is crossing the Atlantic and is scheduled to reach New York on November 7 (file)
Trump argued that the United States should have sought more financial compensation for the billions of dollars in aid sent to Kyiv during Joe Biden’s presidency.
“I feel foolish because all you had to do is ask them, and they would have paid. Meaning the European Union would have paid,” Trump said.
His comments followed an announcement from the Kremlin a day earlier confirming that the first Russian diesel shipment under the Trump-Putin agreement had begun its journey.
“The first oil tanker has sailed off to customers, and regular supplies will continue,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday.
Kpler, a marine intelligence company, identified New York as the vessel’s destination and estimated that it would arrive on November 7.
If completed, the delivery will be the first shipment of Russian diesel to reach the United States since July 2023.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said the opening cargo would contain about 40,000 tons of diesel, or approximately 300,000 barrels.
Trump has indicated that the agreement could eventually allow millions of additional tons of Russian fuel into the United States as his administration confronts persistently high energy prices ahead of the midterm elections.
Trump has promoted a natural resources agreement with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that he says could eventually be worth up to $1 trillion
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has strongly condemned Trump’s decision to restart Russian diesel imports, describing it as “a weak decision by strong partners”
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Russia’s energy infrastructure has come under sustained pressure from Ukrainian drone attacks, with strikes disrupting oil refineries and contributing to fuel shortages
But energy experts have questioned whether the imports will provide any meaningful relief to American consumers.
The inaugural shipment represents just 7% of the roughly 4million barrels of diesel consumed across the US every day.
The deal has drawn criticism from Republicans and Democrats alike over its legality and the prospect of strengthening Russia’s finances during the ongoing conflict.
For Ukraine, the agreement represents another bitter setback in its efforts to isolate Putin economically and pressure Moscow into ending the invasion launched in February 2022.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky delivered a stinging rebuke of the arrangement, describing it as ‘a weak decision by strong partners.’
The agreement is particularly contentious because it follows Trump’s decision to approve sweeping sanctions targeting countries that continue to purchase Russian energy.
That package called for tariffs of up to 100 percent against the five largest importers of Russian oil or natural gas, although Trump suspended implementation of the measures before striking his new diesel arrangement with Putin.
The apparent policy U-turn comes as Russia’s own fuel industry faces continuing pressure from Ukrainian drone attacks on its refineries.
Those strikes previously contributed to shortages inside Russia, although the disruption has since eased.
Ukrainian rescuers work at the site of a Russian strike on a residential area in Zaporizhzhia last week
Last month Trump urged Kyiv to halt the refinery attacks, adding another source of friction to his increasingly strained relationship with Zelensky.
Despite the tensions, diplomatic efforts to end the fighting remain underway.
Zelensky revealed on Friday that he had spoken with Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner following their consultations with Putin in St. Petersburg.
The envoys had also held discussions with the Ukrainian leader earlier in the week in Norway.
A potential three-way meeting involving Washington, Moscow and Kyiv could take place next month, although no venue has been announced.
‘We need diplomacy to move forward,’ Zelensky told Washington’s Hudson Institute.
The Ukrainian president warned that his country urgently needs additional American-made Patriot missile interceptors, financial assistance and protection for its power infrastructure as winter approaches.
He also complained that restrictions affecting Starlink and Starshield satellite services were hampering Ukrainian drone operations.
