Trump’s worse-than-useless Russian diesel deal

Rising gas and diesel prices are a major reason Republicans risk losing the House and possibly the Senate in November, but President Donald Trump’s energy deal with Russia will not fix that. It is too tiny and comes too late to change anyone’s mind about the economy. Worse, it provides much-needed economic relief to a Russian war machine that continues its unrelenting attacks on Ukraine.Before Trump launched the war on Iran, gasoline was under $3 per gallon, and diesel was under $4. Now gas averages about $4.36 and diesel $6.28, increases of roughly 46% and 70%, respectively. These prices are hitting consumers hard, especially in red states where people drive more and industries such as farming, trucking, and construction depend on diesel.Voters are not happy. According to a recent Reuters poll, 64% said rising gas prices had affected their household finances, and 75% held the Trump administration responsible. A separate Reuters poll found that 68% disapproved of Trump’s handling of inflation, including 40% of Republicans. Given these numbers, it is understandable that Trump wanted to do something about voter discontent heading into elections just three weeks away. Enter Trump’s Friday announcement that he had struck a deal allowing Russia to supply almost 2 million tons of diesel. That may sound like a lot, but the deal is backloaded, will not come in time to lower prices before the election, and analysts expect it to produce little sustained relief even when it does come.According to Trump himself, Russia will sell only 300,000 tons of diesel in October (about 72,000 barrels a day), then 500,000 tons in November (about 124,000 barrels a day), and then 1 million tons “immediately thereafter.” But even if those last 1 million tons are delivered in just one month, that would amount to about 240,000 barrels a day. For comparison’s sake, Russia already exports about 800,000 barrels a day, and the world consumes about 28 million barrels a day. Under the announced schedule, 80% of the released diesel will come after the elections. Trump’s diesel deal is, at best, a day late and a dollar short. And that is assuming Russia has the refinery capacity to make good on its promises.Trump then announced an immediate “energy ceasefire” between Russia and Ukraine on Sunday, which might make it easier for Russian refineries to meet their commitments. But while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he would be open to such a ceasefire, Russia has not publicly confirmed that it has agreed to it. Overnight, Russian forces hit power plants in Kharkiv and Kyiv and a gas production facility. That is all in addition to Russia’s continued targeting of civilians, including strikes on an apartment building in Zaporizhzhia, a grocery store near Kharkiv, and residential buildings in Kharkiv.A RED-GREEN WARNING FROM FRANCEThe diesel deal undermines Trump’s efforts to weaken Russia by demanding that NATO allies stop buying Russian oil. Energy purchases provide Moscow with revenue to finance its imperial war. Cutting off that revenue would pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin to negotiate an end to the war. Now, Trump is offering him the revenue he urged our allies to deny him.Trump’s diesel deal offers Americans little prospect of meaningful relief while giving Putin more war money. It undermines the pressure needed to secure peace, an outcome firmly in America’s interest. It helps an invader and betrays a country fighting to keep its freedom. Ukraine should not have to pay for Trump’s electoral desperation with more destroyed homes and lost lives.