Trump defends his deal with Russia on diesel

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US President Donald Trump on Monday defended his agreement with Russia on diesel.

Trump said in a post on his account on the Truth Social website: “I made the right decision regarding Russian diesel.”

Trump added that the European Union paid Russia $250 billion for energy.

On the other hand, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz distanced himself from President Trump, against the backdrop of the latter's plan to import Russian diesel.

Mertz said in Berlin on Monday that the German government took note of the agreement between the United States and Russia regarding the export of diesel. He added, "Such a decision is out of the question for Germany and Europe. Russia will not negotiate seriously except under pressure, and therefore we will continue to adhere to the sanctions imposed on Russia."

Trump had announced, following a conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, on his “Truth Social” platform, that he had agreed with the Russian president to provide more than 300,000 tons of diesel “immediately” to the United States and the global market.

According to Trump, an additional half a million tons of diesel are scheduled to be released next November, and then another million tons “immediately after that.”

Trump added that Russia also intends to supply 3 million tons of diesel within a short period, "subject to the condition of its diesel refineries."

On the other hand, the European Union criticized this agreement.

On Monday, the European Union approved new sanctions on about 1,600 entities and individuals, all of them related to the war launched by Russia against Ukraine, according to what the European Union’s foreign policy official, Kaya Kallas, announced.

The move came while Ukraine and its European supporters are still under the influence of Trump's decision to lift sanctions on Russian diesel, as part of an agreement to supply it to the United States.

Under the new measures, the number of those on the European Union sanctions list linked to Russia will rise to about 3,500 people and entities, which include prominent figures such as President Vladimir Putin himself.