Phillips P. O’Brien writes:

With the major story breaking yesterday of the US announcing the purchase of diesel fuel from Russia, followed by a Treasury Department announcement of sanctions relief on Russia (see details below), I am sending out this overview. This development is not only important but it is also indicative of a truth that many (most) people have been unwilling to admit for the last 21 months. The narrow story is the decision by the Trump administration to purchase Russian diesel, which was proclaimed by the American president as a great triumph for the US consumer (when, of course, it is nothing of the sort).

However, the real story here is not about diesel, it is about the US increasingly emerging as a supporter of Russia in this war. Since Trump became president for the second time, the USA has moved steadily to support Putin in his war to wipe out Ukraine. For most of the time that has been through limiting Ukraine and leaving Ukraine defenseless—so that Russia can bombard Ukraine mercilessly (which we are now seeing).

However, that has not been all. The US aid for Russia has extended to outright diplomatic support (all those UN votes, the Putin red-carpet visit, etc.), to spreading Russian disinformation (most recently by Marco Rubio this week), to even manipulating Ukraine and Ukrainian allies into doing what Russia wants (hopes and dreams in the USA). Yes, there have been limited crumbs thrown Ukraine’s way, but these have been to keep leverage over the Ukrainians, to see if they can be bullied into doing what Putin wants because of some deeply misguided hope and belief in the USA. [Continue reading…]

The Guardian reports:

Donald Trump was on a fresh collision course with the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and European allies after a stunning agreement to buy Russian diesel, upending years of US and western pressure on the Kremlin to end its four-and-a-half year war against Ukraine.

Zelenskyy reacted furiously to Trump’s announcement of the deal with Vladimir Putin, calling it “absolutely terrible” and “not fair and not honest”.

The Ukrainian leader said “back room deals” with the Russian president would give Putin more chances on the battlefield. Hours later, on Saturday morning, Ukrainian officials reported that a Russian attack had killed 12 people in the south-east, including three children, while Moscow claimed its troops were advancing in the east.

In a move likely to create a fresh crisis with Washington’s Nato allies, Trump announced the deal with Putin on his Truth Social network on Friday, saying it was essential to reduce fuel prices in the US, which have soared as a result of his decision to go to war with Iran. [Continue reading…]

The Associated Press reports:

Energy policy experts on Friday expressed doubts that a boost in diesel supply from Russia will have a significant impact on oil prices, whether in the U.S. or globally.

“It’s kind of shuffling deck chairs on the Titanic,” said Michael Lynch, distinguished fellow at Energy Policy Research Foundation, a nonpartisan research institution focused on energy and economics.

“If we get diesel from Russia, basically it means that their existing customers are not going to get it and they’ll have to go somewhere else, and that will keep the price basically where it is now,” Lynch said. [Continue reading…]