Trump lifts Russian diesel sanctions during Ukraine talks

President Trump lifted US diesel sanctions on Russia on Friday, saying the step was needed to ease fuel costs, while Ukrainian officials said the decision undercut Kyiv during peace talks in Miami. Reaction pending.

Ukrainian officials said negotiators from the US, Ukraine and Europe held six hours of discussions in Florida on a possible end to the war. A person briefed on the talks said the agenda included a postwar economic package for Ukraine and a potential security framework involving Europe and Russia.

Miami talks face diesel backlash

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his team was being used as a “smokescreen” and called the sanctions reversal “a weak decision by strong partners.” The comment followed Trump’s announcement of the diesel deal while US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were meeting Ukrainian officials.

US Democratic senators said the decision hurt Ukraine, European allies and US national security, while Republican lawmaker Don Bacon also criticized the policy shift. Their statements point to a wider Washington fight over whether lower US fuel prices should take precedence over economic pressure on Moscow.

Ukraine also struck a Yandex datacenter in Russia’s Kaluga region, the company said, and Ukrainian arms maker Firepoint said FP-1 attack drones were used. Russia’s defense ministry said its forces hit three cargo vessels near Ukrainian Black Sea ports; officials in Ukraine reported three people killed and at least eight wounded in strikes on Friday.

Over the next 24 hours, the immediate test is whether the Miami talks produce a shared statement or fracture over the diesel sanctions reversal.