DOMINANT ANGLE
Kiev denounces the agreement on Russian diesel as direct financing of Moscow's war machine, concluded while its delegation was negotiating in Florida.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
The US Treasury has authorized the importation of Russian diesel until April 7, 2027, three weeks after the signing of the Graham sanctions law on September 18 (Kyiv Post, TSN).
- 02
Zelensky: "a weak decision by strong partners", the agreement providing "additional money for the war" and the Ukrainian delegation serving as a "facade" (Ukrinform).
- 03
A Ukrainian official quoted by the Financial Times claims that Kiev will continue its strikes: "We will burn the refineries" (Ukrainska Pravda).
ANALYSIS
Kiev, October 10, 2026. For the Ukrainian press, the announcement made by Donald Trump on Friday, October 9, after his call with Vladimir Putin, is not a price measure: it's a transfer of resources to Moscow. Kyiv Post writes that the agreement offers Russia "a massive financial lifeline" at a time when Kiev and its European partners are demanding maximum economic pressure. Ukrinform and Ukrainska Pravda report the announced volumes (over 300,000 tonnes, 500,000 in November, then one million) and the US Treasury license valid until April 7, 2027.
The reaction of Volodymyr Zelensky structures the coverage. Before journalists, he judged that the agreement meant "additional money for the war" and that the Ukrainian team, present in Florida, was "simply used as a facade", before concluding: "a weak decision by strong partners". On X, he wrote that "gifts to Putin will not bring peace" and that Russia will "thank" with "more terror and perfidy". To Axios, he spoke of a "birthday gift for Putin". The head of diplomacy, Andriy Sybiha, believes that Putin sees this as American weakness.
The newspapers insist on the temporal contrast: the Miami talks, with the E3, the Commission, and NATO, lasted six hours according to Kyiv Post, with Steve Witkoff speaking of "constructive" discussions without a breakthrough. They recall that the Graham sanctions law was signed on September 18, and that Zelensky had asked a Congressional delegation in Kiev that morning to ensure its implementation, under air alert due to Shahed jet drones.
The military dimension keeps coming back. Kyiv Post notes that Russia has banned almost all its diesel exports since July, after Ukrainian drone strikes on its refineries. NV Ukraine cites Axios: according to an American official, Trump concluded the agreement because Ukraine refused to stop these strikes. A high-ranking Ukrainian official tells the Financial Times, cited by Ukrainska Pravda: "We will burn the refineries". Zelensky, for his part, proposes a reciprocal de-escalation: no refineries burned if Russia spares the Ukrainian energy network.
American voices hostile to the agreement are widely relayed: former ambassador Steven Pifer judges it "very reckless", and Republicans Don Bacon and Michael McCaul join Democrat Richard Blumenthal. TSN reports that Australia refuses to buy Russian fuel.
SOURCES (5)
- Kyiv PostMEDIUM
- Ukrainska Pravda ENMEDIUM
- NV UkraineMEDIUM
- TSN UkraineMEDIUM
