Kallas warns US diesel deal will fund Russia's war in Ukraine
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas warned that suspending US sanctions on Russian diesel will provide Moscow with vital revenue to finance its continuing military aggression against Ukraine.
The warning followed an announcement by US President Donald Trump detailing an agreement with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to deliver large volumes of Russian diesel to American and international markets. Washington suspended existing restrictions on these fuel shipments to facilitate the transactions.
“Suspending sanctions on Russian diesel gives Moscow extra revenues to wage its war,” Kallas wrote on social media platform X. “Now is not the time to ease pressure on Russia, and Europe will not do so.”
Mounting strikes and expanding sanctions
The EU top diplomat underscored that the American decision coincides with an escalation in Russian attacks against Ukrainian civilian infrastructure and intensified hybrid operations targeting European nations.
“Russian strikes have killed over 80 Ukrainian civilians in two days, and Russia has intensified its hybrid attacks against Europe, both against EU member states and NATO allies,” Kallas said.
In response, the European Union is moving to expand its own restrictive measures against Moscow. EU foreign ministers are scheduled on Monday to formally add approximately 1,600 individuals and entities to the bloc's sanctions list related to the war in Ukraine.
Widening western divergence
The European sanctions list is reviewed biannually and requires unanimous approval from all 27 EU member states. Restrictive measures targeting actions that undermine or threaten Ukraine's territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence currently apply to roughly 3,000 individuals and entities.
Brussels initially introduced targeted sanctions against Russia in March 2014 following the illegal annexation of the Crimean peninsula. Those measures were substantially broadened after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and the subsequent illegal annexation of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions.
The unilateral arrangement announced by Washington has sparked strong dismay in Kyiv. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticized the suspension of fuel sanctions, calling the agreement "unworthy" as Western allies attempt to restrict Moscow's economic resources.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
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