US President Donald Trump points to the crowd during a Republican campaign rally at the F&M Bank Arena in Clarksville, Tennessee, on Saturday. [Reuters]
US President Donald Trump points to the crowd during a Republican campaign rally at the F&M Bank Arena in Clarksville, Tennessee, on Saturday. [Reuters]

US President Donald Trump pushed back Monday against a wave of criticism over his diesel supply deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying he "made the right decision for the American people. America first, always."

Trump also took to his Truth Social account that day to claim that "the European Union paid Russia $250 billion for energy, and the fake news media doesn't want to touch this story."

Trump had announced Friday that he and Putin had reached an agreement under which Russia would immediately supply 300,000 metric tons of diesel to US and global markets, with additional tranches of 500,000 and 1 million metric tons to follow, bringing total committed supply to 4.8 million metric tons.

The international community, which has imposed sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, criticized the US shift. The EU and Ukraine said the deal would help Russia fund its war effort, and criticism poured in from across the US political spectrum, with lawmakers from both parties calling it an act that would only enrich Putin. The opposition Democratic Party called the agreement a "deal with the devil."

Trump's post was a direct rebuttal to those critics. He pointed to European countries' continued purchases of Russian oil and gas even after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, arguing that the deal was a decision made for Americans suffering under high diesel prices at home.

After the war broke out, the international community moved to impose sanctions on Russia, but European nations with long-standing oil and gas contracts with Moscow could not cut ties overnight. Purchases of Russian gas continued until the EU passed regulations last January to phase them out, with full compliance targeted by September next year.

According to the American Automobile Association, the average US diesel price Monday was $6.27 per gallon, roughly 1.7 times the $3.67 per gallon recorded a year earlier. In the United States, diesel is used primarily to fuel trucks and farm equipment, making it a key driver of agricultural prices and logistics costs. Farmers struggling with rising diesel prices are also among Trump's core supporters.


kate01@heraldcorp.com