[EU Lifts Diesel Sanctions Amid Warnings That Rivers of Funding May Empower Moscow’s War Effort]
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas warned on Saturday that removing sanctions on Russian diesel has supplied Moscow with additional financing for its war against Ukraine, coming after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a deal in which Russia agreed to release a large volume of fuel.
“Recent Russian strikes have claimed more than 80 Ukrainian civilian lives in two days, and the regime has intensified hybrid operations across Europe, including our member states and NATO allies,” Kallas posted online.
“Lifting the diesel embargo provides Moscow with far greater revenue streams to fund the war. The United States cannot afford to ease pressure on Russia at this moment,” she declared.
President Trump said yesterday that he had secured Moscow’s commitment to a major diesel supply deal as part of his effort to lift war sanctions ahead of the U.S. midterm elections.
Ukraine’s president responded sharply, and the European Union reaffirmed its determination to tighten its own measures against Moscow.
EU foreign ministers are scheduled to add roughly 1,600 new individuals and entities to its sanctions list on Monday.
The European Commission also called for a brief cease‑fire that would protect critical energy and food‑supply infrastructures in Ukraine and Russia, arguing that such a pause would reduce Europe’s dependence on Russian hydrocarbons.
“A ceasefire that safeguards global food and energy security remains essential,” it stated.
