The President of the United States calls for a new leader in Kiev and confirms a deal to return over 1.8 million tonnes of Russian diesel to the market, directly affecting fuel prices in Spain.
Donald Trump called on Saturday for a new president for Ukraine and blamed Volodymyr Zelensky for Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries, according to moncloa.com. He made the remarks from Andrews military base in Maryland, after Washington announced an agreement to increase the supply of Russian diesel to international markets following the lifting of sanctions on those exports.
The American president estimated the first shipment at over 300,000 tonnes of fuel, with an additional 500,000 tonnes throughout November and one million more in a later phase. In total, more than 1.8 million tonnes will return to the global market.
“I think it’s time for Ukraine to have a new president,” Trump stated to the press.
The message to Moscow was explicit. “We told Zelensky: you can do whatever you want to Russia, but don’t attack the refineries, because that poses a problem for the world,” he summarised. His argument is economic: the Ukrainian bombings strain the global fuel supply and punish American agriculture and livestock.
The diplomatic sequence began on Friday, October 9, with a meeting in Miami between delegations from the United States, Ukraine, and Europe, which included representatives from the United Kingdom, France, Germany, the European Commission, and NATO. The American envoy Steve Witkoff proposed exploring ways to bring the war to an end before the northern winter.
The Kremlin confirmed that Vladimir Putin received Trump’s proposals by phone and welcomed them “with understanding,” without revealing their content. Zelensky responded from Kiev that lifting the restrictions benefits Moscow while the offensive continues and warned that the measure could prolong the conflict.
The attacks did not stop. A Russian bombing in Zaporizhia left 20 dead, including three children, according to state emergency services. In Dnipropetrovsk, an 11-year-old boy died from a drone attack and power outages were reported in Kiev, according to the energy company DTEK.
The move has a direct translation for Spain. Diesel is bought and sold in a global market, so every Russian barrel that enters or exits affects the transport bill. Diesel is the fuel that supports logistics, distribution, and a large part of the Spanish countryside.
It is worth noting a nuance. Since February 2023, the European Union has prohibited the import of Russian diesel by sea, so Spain does not buy diesel directly from Moscow. However, prices are set in a single market, and every decision made in Washington influences that. Spain imports almost all of its crude oil and a significant portion of the diesel it refines.
This happened in 2022. The large-scale invasion of Ukraine drove up diesel prices in Europe, and Spain responded with a subsidy of 20 cents per litre approved in April of that year. Then Brussels incurred an energy cost to punish Moscow; now it is Washington that is moving in the opposite direction, in the midst of negotiations to end the war.
For Spain, the outcome is not irrelevant. It trains Ukrainian soldiers in Toledo as part of the European mission and has committed military and humanitarian aid, meaning the standoff between Washington and Kiev impacts its industry, its agriculture, and its position in the European Union.
The calendar presents two tests. The deliveries of 500,000 tonnes announced for November will set the market tone, and it remains to be seen whether Brussels will align with Washington or maintain its own sanctions on Russian fuel exports. The question for the Spanish wallet is how much Russian diesel returns to the market and at what price it arrives in the Mediterranean.
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