Ukraine-Russia war latest: Zelensky says Trump diesel deal with Moscow is ‘a gift Putin will repay with terror’

Donald Trump has announced a deal with Russian president Vladimir Putin to increase Russian diesel supplies to the US and global markets, saying the move would help bring down fuel prices.

Trump said Russia would immediately supply more than 300,000 tonnes of diesel, followed by further shipments in November and beyond. His administration also temporarily eased sanctions on Russian fuel, reversing a policy intended to deprive Moscow of revenue for its war against Ukraine.

Ukrainian resident Volodymyr Zelensky criticised the decision, calling it “a weak decision on the part of strong partners”.

“Allowing Russia to sell petroleum products is an investment in a war that must be ended, not prolonged,” Zelensky said, adding that what was needed was “real de-escalation with Russia on a reciprocal basis”.

Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday hit out at the reported deal between the US and Russia allowing Moscow to provide Washington with diesel, branding it a gift that Russia would repay with “terror”.

“Gifts to Putin will not bring peace or any benefit to the civilised world,” the Ukrainian president wrote on social media, shortly after US president Donald Trump announced that Moscow would supply over 300,000 tons of diesel fuel following a “highly successful” discussion between leaders.

“Russia will ‘repay’ the diesel with further terror and perfidy,” Zelensky said. “Allowing Russia to sell petroleum products is an investment in a war that must be ended, not prolonged. What is needed is real de-escalation with Russia on a reciprocal basis.”

Donald Trump last month ordered Ukraine to stop striking Russian diesel infrastructure, saying the attacks were causing a shortage of the ​fuel that is “hurting the world”. Fallout from the US war with Iran has also driven up the cost of diesel in recent months.

The deal on diesel comes in spite of Washington’s reported efforts to push for an ‘energy ceasefire’, by which Russia and Ukraine would agree to stop striking vital energy infrastructure. Zelensky had signalled willingness to agree to a deal, with disruption to energy likely to bite in the cold winter months.

AI military officers could be making decisions on the battlefield within just four years, the former head of the CIA has said amid growing debate over the use of the technology in war.

Ret. Gen. David Petraeus said he believed that warfare would begin to see the adoption of AI staff officers that are capable of gathering information and making decisions with little to no human input by 2030.

“Just four years from now, we will have autonomous systems, and I think we will have the beginning of autonomous systems of autonomous systems; we will have AI agents, so you’ll have agentic AI staff officers,” he told investor Finn Murphy on the Forecast2050 podcast, to be released on Thursday.

Global food prices could climb by more than nine per cent this year as a deadly escalation between Russia and Ukraine around the Black Sea threatens vital grain exports, analysts have warned.

Ukrainian exports fell an astonishing 75 per cent year-on-year in the first two weeks of August as Russia stepped up its attacks, striking ports more than 70 times in July and early August and hitting vessels on 62 occasions, according to port authorities.

Kyiv says the attacks threaten $40bn in crucial export revenue, worth 1.5 per cent of GDP, while hundreds of millions of people reliant on Ukrainian grain around the world stand to go without.

UK households should keep small supplies of cash, bottled water and tinned food at home in case of emergency or war, the Defence Secretary has warned.

Wes Streeting said Britain faces a growing threat of being disrupted by fires, floods, and enemy attacks, including cyber warfare.

He called for a “whole society approach” to strengthen national resilience, though he insisted people should remain “alert not alarmed” regarding potential risks:

Russian Envoy Kirill Dmitriev, during his visit to Washington, asked for licenses to export diesel to the US market to be granted to all of Russia’s major oil firms, sources familiar with the situation tell Reuters.

The United Kingdom remains committed to supporting Ukraine and will maintain pressure on Russia through sanctions, a government spokesperson said on Friday, after US President Donald Trump announced a deal for Russia to supply diesel to the US and the global market.

“The UK’s position could not be clearer. We will continue working closely with international partners to ensure Ukraine has the military and financial support it needs to defend itself. We will also maintain pressure on Russia through the toughest sanctions regime ever imposed by the UK,” the spokesperson said.

The unusual public confrontation between Ukraine and South Korea has raised questions about how relations between two nations facing the consequences of growing Russian-North Korean military cooperation deteriorated so sharply. Shweta Sharma reports

The British government, responding to the US-Russian deal on diesel, says the UK will maintain pressure on Russia through the toughest sanctions regime ever imposed by the UK.

Russian President Vladimir Putin told US President Donald Trump on Friday that Kyiv undermined the possibility of an immediate Ukraine peace talks resumption after it had hit Moscow with drones during last month’s election, the Kremlin said.

Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov also said Putin and Trump discussed major economic initiatives during the phone call, including potential supplies of Russian fuel.