Key facts
- Czech President Petr Pavel stated the U.S. diesel deal with Russia has derailed Ukraine-Russia peace progress.
- Pavel said the deal gives Russia "new hope" and a "moral boost."
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused President Trump of using peace talks as a "smokescreen" for the deal.
- Zelenskyy stated the deal allows Russia to "kill more, wage war for longer."
- The White House said Trump "successfully negotiated" the deal to lower prices.
Czech President Petr Pavel stated on Tuesday that a diesel supply deal between the U.S. and Russia, negotiated by President Donald Trump, has derailed progress toward a ceasefire in Ukraine. Pavel told the Axel Springer Global Reporters Network that coordinated sanctions on Russia had been putting Moscow "under strain," but the agreement for Russia to supply hundreds of thousands of tons of diesel to the U.S. has given Moscow "time to breathe" and a "moral boost."