When Zelenskyy heard that the U.S. and Russia had reached a consensus on diesel cooperation, he felt betrayed—was this feeling justified?

Trump’s two advisors on the Ukraine-Russia issue—Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner—have already delivered an ultimatum to Ukraine on behalf of the United States: if Ukraine continues striking Russian oil refineries, the U.S. will cut off intelligence sharing with Ukraine, halt weapons deliveries, and remotely disable U.S.-supplied weapons (source: Axios). What’s most intriguing is that although the U.S. government publicly denied issuing such threats, it openly acknowledged its firm commitment to safeguarding American consumers’ right to purchase Russian diesel. From Trump’s perspective, nothing matters more than his presidency—so all these moves are entirely rational. Iran has blockaded the Strait of Hormuz; the Houthis have blockaded the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Not a single drop of Middle Eastern oil can currently be shipped out. The world is now openly facing an oil shortage—especially diesel. Domestic diesel prices in the U.S. have hit record highs. Autumn harvest is imminent, and diesel—the lifeblood of industrial machinery—is about to be used on a massive scale. America’s ‘rednecks’ need food—and they need to harvest. Such exorbitant fuel prices are simply unacceptable to them; they literally cannot afford to fill up their tanks. Unfortunately, U.S. shale oil is ultra-light crude, which yields mostly gasoline upon refining, with only a small fraction becoming diesel. Seized Venezuelan crude remains unusable for now, as critical refining infrastructure is still under construction—meaning it will take at least two to three years before it can even be considered viable.

The ‘Two Pus’ colluded to produce a hot potato.

Trump had just announced the exemption of restrictions on Russian refined petroleum exports when a Russian tanker fully loaded with diesel docked at a U.S. port. It takes at least two months for diesel to be loaded in Russia and sail to the U.S.—indicating that the ‘Two Pus’ had secretly colluded two months earlier. The ‘Two Pus’ originally believed lifting restrictions on Russian refined oil exports would financially sustain Russia’s war effort, rescue Russia’s economy, and deliver a heavy blow to Ukraine. Unfortunately, the plot twisted too quickly: instead, their collusion produced a hot potato. Once Russian diesel arrived in the U.S., public outcry erupted, accusing America of becoming an accomplice to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Both Republicans and Democrats reacted strongly. In 2024, seven bipartisan U.S. Senators jointly introduced legislation to restrict purchases of Russian petroleum products—a bill that passed unanimously in the Senate. Now, these six senators (the seventh being Marco Rubio) are individually calling major U.S. refined-fuel distributors, warning them that purchasing Russian refined products violates the law and will trigger legal consequences. Businesspeople universally pursue profit—even though Trump proudly boasted that Russian diesel is cheap.

Ship With Russian Diesel Signals US Port After Trump-Putin Deal

Oct 23, 2026

A tanker carrying nearly 320,000 barrels of Russian diesel signaled arrival at a US port, marking the first such shipment since the 2022 invasion following a Treasury waiver enabled by a Trump-Putin agreement.

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Ship With Russian Diesel Signals US Port After Trump-Putin Deal

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