The attack came only hours after Trump said Putin had agreed to supply Russian diesel to the US and global markets following a "highly successful" phone call. Russia "expressed its thanks" for the lifting of US sanctions on its diesel exports by dropping five glide bombs on apartment blocks in Zaporizhzhia, killing at least 12 people including three children, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday. The attack came only hours after US President Donald Trump said Vladimir Putin had agreed to supply Russian diesel to the US and global markets following a "highly successful" phone call. The US Treasury then issued a temporary waiver lifting sanctions on Russian diesel until April 2027. Trump said Russia would supply more than 300,000 tons straight away, with millions more to follow in the coming months depending on the state of its refineries. Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev said "Russia-US cooperation on diesel and energy will benefit the world." Ukrainian plight In Zaporizhzhia, Zelenskyy said 14 people were injured, two critically, and rescuers were still trying to find out what happened to 12 more. Thirteen Ukrainian regions came under attack overnight. "Last night confirmed once again that in Russia, they take any easing of pressure to mean they can keep fighting, to mean they can keep dropping bombs on cities," he wrote on X. "Different signals are needed." He said Russia "must feel its losses" and promised Ukraine would respond. On Friday, Zelenskyy called the deal "gifts to Putin", warning that "allowing Russia to sell petroleum products is an investment in a war that must be ended, not prolonged." Trump, who thanked Putin for the pledge while speaking to reporters, was asked about the Zelenskyy's criticism and replied simply: "Okay." Andrii Sybiha, Ukraine's foreign minister, said the US-Russia deal would not even help fuel prices. "Weakening sanctions neither brings peace closer nor helps global markets. The only thing that could really bring prices down is an energy ceasefire," he wrote on X, adding: "Instead, Putin sees weakness. And weak strategies never deliver strong results, just as appeasement never brings peace." Poland's Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski questioned whether Russia had any diesel to sell. "Our embassy reports fuel shortages even in Moscow, which is always given priority in supplies," he wrote on X. "Moreover, serious sources report that Ukraine has already damaged about 50% of Russian refining capacity. So where will the surpluses for export come from?" In Washington, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and senators Jeanne Shaheen and Elizabeth Warren condemned the six-month waiver as "a total betrayal of Ukraine, our European allies and American national security." Britain said it would keep up pressure on Moscow through its own sanctions. "Russia could end this war today," a government spokesperson said. Germany said it would stick with its sanctions. "The German government stands by the sanction decisions against Russia and is working together with European partners on further sanctions," said Stefan Kornelius, spokesman for Chancellor Friedrich Merz. "Support for Ukraine in its defensive struggle remains unbroken." 180-turn The deal comes just three weeks after Trump signed into law a sweeping sanctions bill named after the late Republican Senator Lindsey Graham. Passed by Congress with big bipartisan majorities, the law targets Russia's energy revenues and allows tariffs on countries that buy Russian oil and gas. Diesel prices have hit record highs since US-Israeli strikes on Iran in February led Tehran to choke shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, while Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries forced Moscow to ban diesel exports in July. The move is viewed by many as an attempt at easing pain at the pump for American consumers and taking pressure off Trump's Republicans ahead of next month's midterm elections, in which Democrats could win back control of Congress.
Russia dropped five glide bombs on apartment blocks in Zaporizhzhia, killing at least 12 people, Zelenskyy has said. (PAP/EPA)
