Czech President: Trump And Putin's Diesel Deal Derailed The Peace Process
5- 22.10.2026, 13:05
- 1,210
The politician stated that a genuine ceasefire was “very close.”
Czech President Petr Pavel stated that a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine was “very close” —until White House Chief Donald Trump lifted sanctions on Russian diesel fuel.
The Czech president made these remarks in an interview with the Axel Springer Global Reporters Network, which includes Politico.
Pavel noted that coordinated U.S. and European sanctions targeting Russian oil, oligarchs, and other industries had put Russia “in a difficult position.”
However, the agreement—which Trump announced earlier in October and under which Russia was to supply hundreds of thousands of metric tons of diesel fuel to the U.S.—gave the Kremlin “a chance to catch its breath.”
“It will be much more difficult now. Russia is using this momentum to ease the pressure, and it serves as a kind of morale boost for them,” Pavel believes.
On Wednesday, the White House stated that Trump had “successfully negotiated” this deal to supply the global market with “huge volumes of diesel fuel and lower prices.”
Pavel also expressed his support for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has recently faced harsh criticism from Trump.
“I believe that President Zelenskyy and all of Ukraine have become victims of the conflict. Therefore, I am probably the last person who would accuse Ukraine of being to blame for the conflict. It wasn’t Ukraine that attacked Russia. It wasn’t Ukraine that threatened Russia,” the Czech president emphasized.
He added that Trump is taking a more open approach toward Russia than any European leader.
“To some extent, he may be drawn to Vladimir Putin as a charismatic leader, but I don’t think… President Trump views this through the lens of a struggle between democracy and autocracies, because he looks at it simply from the perspective of the economic prosperity of the United States,”, Pavel added.
Although Pavel expressed concern about the diesel fuel agreement, he refused to claim that the U.S. had betrayed Ukraine or other European partners.
“I don’t know yet if this can be called a betrayal, but I would call it a mistake. Because… this now gives Russia new hope: new hope that they can ignore Europe, ignore Ukraine, focus on striking a deal with the United States—and potentially with China—and arrange everything in accordance with their own priorities and strategies. “I believe this clearly runs counter to our interests in Europe,” he said.
Pavel also did not rule out the possibility that European countries might buy Russian oil in the future, but added that “it will take time” before that happens.
“If Russia one day becomes a country that respects the sovereignty and borders of other countries, then why not maintain normal business relations with such a country? But Russia has not yet reached that level,” he added.
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