Lithuanian FM says Trump-Putin diesel deal weakens Western position

VILNIUS - A deal between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on diesel exports weakens the West's position, although it is not the worst development of the past two years, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys said.

"This latest episode is not the worst we have seen in nearly two years. But it is certainly regrettable, as it does not help achieve a coordinated sanctions policy towards Russia between Europe and the United States, and slightly weakens our position as the West," Budrys told journalists in Luxembourg on Monday, ahead of a meeting of the European Union's Foreign Affairs Council.

"We have seen multiple times when the United States made certain decisions without much coordination with Europe. This is not the first time. Whenever we coordinated, we saw how effective it was, but that did not always happen. Therefore, I do not see this as something entirely new," the minister said.

However, Budrys said the decision should not change the European Union's stance on sanctions against Russia.

"The European Union has imposed restrictions on imports of oil products into the bloc, and we will not change our position, as we believe this is one of the more effective measures to restrict financial flows to the Russian war machine," Budrys said.

Trump announced on Friday that he had reached an agreement with Putin on supplying large quantities of diesel in exchange for a temporary easing of US sanctions. The announcement drew criticism from Ukraine, the European Union and some US lawmakers. Budrys said US decisions could be influenced not only by efforts to end the war but also by domestic political factors, including high energy prices.

The minister also warned that one of Europe's biggest challenges next year would be securing funding for Ukraine. He said bilateral support from European Union member states was currently at its lowest level since 2022, even as Ukraine's defence needs were growing and infrastructure destruction continued.

Budrys stressed that Lithuania would honour its commitments to Ukraine and said the European Union's financial support scheme should not prompt other countries to reduce their bilateral aid. However, he noted that maintaining European countries' attention and support would be difficult.

Asked about the potential impact of the agreement on diesel prices and the entry of Russian diesel into the European Union market, Budrys said he did not expect a significant effect on prices or the bloc's position. He stressed that Lithuania would seek to ensure the agreement did not undermine the European Union's sanctions policy.