Putin and Trump hold phone talks – Kremlin
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he discussed prospects for resolving the Ukraine conflict with his US counterpart Donald Trump during a phone call on Friday, along with global energy issues and bilateral relations.
The conversation also covered the situation surrounding Iran, according to a statement by the Russian president published on the Kremlin website.
“Considerable attention was devoted to the prospects for resolving the Ukrainian crisis,” Putin said.
Turning to global energy markets, Putin expressed optimism about the prospects for cooperation with Washington.
“Russia reaffirmed its readiness to supply oil and petroleum products to the US and global markets,” he said. “I am confident that this will have a positive impact on the entire global economy.”
Earlier on Friday, Trump announced that he had held a “highly successful” discussion with Putin, resulting in an agreement for Moscow to supply millions of tons of diesel fuel to US and global markets. In a Truth Social post, Trump said deliveries would begin immediately, helping to lower fuel prices, particularly for American farmers, ranchers and truckers.
Following Trump’s announcement, the US Treasury said its Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) was temporarily lifting sanctions on Russian diesel exports to global markets.
The move comes amid a worsening global fuel supply crunch, as conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine have disrupted oil shipments and refinery operations, driving up diesel prices worldwide.
In the US, diesel prices have surged by around 70% since the US-Israeli attack on Iran in February and remain at record highs, according to data from the American Automobile Association (AAA).
Russia, one of the world’s largest diesel exporters, has restricted overseas sales of the fuel in recent months amid continued Ukrainian drone attacks on its oil refineries. The export ban is due to expire at the end of October.
It was not immediately clear whether the Putin-Trump agreement would affect the restrictions.
