The White House expects Russian dictator Vladimir Putin to become more willing to compromise after the United States eased sanctions on the sale of Russian diesel fuel. Axios reported this, citing unnamed sources in the U.S. administration.
According to a U.S. official, White House special envoy Steve Witkoff will meet with Putin on October 21 and present him with an updated plan to end Russia’s war against Ukraine. Jared Kushner, the son-in-law and adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump, is expected to join the meeting virtually.
According to the outlet, the White House believes Putin may be more willing to compromise after Trump agreed to ease sanctions on the sale of Russian diesel fuel and took other steps welcomed in Moscow.
The report notes that the so-called diesel deal between the United States and Russia eases sanctions pressure on Moscow, increases its revenue to finance the war against Ukraine, and creates leverage to pressure Kyiv into making concessions. At the same time, the specific terms of the deal, the mechanism for easing sanctions, and the potential volumes of supplies have not been disclosed.
Negotiation Plan and Meeting in Oslo
A U.S. official said the new proposal for settling the war is intended to “open the way for direct trilateral and broader multilateral negotiations.”
Negotiations in Oslo on October 20 focused on preparing an agreed proposal for a “framework agreement” to end the war, Axios reported.
A U.S. representative said that Ukraine had “put forward new ideas and proposals that were discussed in detail.” According to him, the parties made “substantial progress” and have “a significant level of alignment at the working level” on the next steps.
The content of the updated plan that Witkoff is to present to Putin has not been disclosed. It is also not specified which proposals were put forward by the Ukrainian side or on which points the parties reached agreement.
Statements by Trump, Zelenskyy and Congress
On October 9, Trump said he had reached an agreement with Putin on supplying Russian diesel fuel to the U.S. and global markets.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy subsequently stressed that any easing of sanctions against Russia without a clear and lasting de-escalation agreement with the Kremlin is “an obvious weakness that plays into Russia’s hands.”
On October 11, Republican House member Fitzpatrick said that a bipartisan bill would be introduced in Congress to block any purchases of Russian oil.
