Donald Trump aligns with Vladimir Putin yet again, leaving Ukraine – and US relations with Europe – under pressure

Photo: President Donald Trump greets Russian president Vladimir Putin at Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, Friday, August 15, 2025. (Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok) Attribution: “P20250815DT-0739” by The White House via Flickr. United States Government Work. Article by Stefan Wolff. The Conversation – October 12, 2026.

The deal struck by Donald Trump with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, on October 9 to allow Russia to sell millions of tonnes of diesel is a major departure from US policy and runs counter to Ukrainian and European interests. It also directly contradicts a law signed by the US president in September to authorise fresh US sanctions and tariffs on nations that import Russian oil and gas. The timing of this deal was unfortunate. A senior Ukrainian and European delegation were in Miami for talks with Trump’s envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. On the table were apparently new US proposals which included a pre-winter de-escalation in the four-and-a-half-year war. […]

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