“The decline of American power is taking its currency down with it.”
The cat’s out of the bag
On Friday, President Trump revealed that Russia has agreed to supply 300,000 tonnes of diesel to America and international markets immediately, with more to follow in the coming months. In return, the US has agreed to suspend energy sanctions against Russia. At the time of writing, Russian confirmation is from senior officials rather than a formal Kremlin announcement.
Zelensky’s response has been to double down on attacks against Russian refineries, reportedly striking two such facilities — moves likely to further alienate the Americans. The Europeans have also been blindsided by this move. For them, it is a clear breach in relations with their dominant NATO partner and raises questions over NATO’s future existence.
It is already clear to independent observers that Ukraine is a lost cause, and this is the implication of the diesel agreement with Russia. The only surprise is the degree to which European Russophobia continues to blind UK/German/French/EU politicians:
