Kathrine Frich
Trump insisted that Putin “wants to make a deal more than Zelensky”
High fuel prices always hit household budgets hard. With the November midterm elections just weeks away,
American voters are watching the gas pump closely while leaders look for someone to blame.
Now, a sudden White House deal with a foreign rival has set off a fierce political fight in Washington.
Blaming the wrong war
Former Vice President Kamala Harris tore into President Donald Trump after he signed an agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin to buy Russian diesel, the Irish Star reported. At the same time, Trump pointed the finger at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for rising fuel costs across the United States.
According to the Irish Star, Harris argued that America’s eight-month conflict with Iran is the real reason behind the price spike.
“Donald Trump and his war in Iran are to blame for our nation’s sky-high diesel and gas prices. His latest ploy, buying fuel from his friend Vladimir Putin, reeks of weakness and will help pay for Russia’s war but will do nothing to make life more affordable for American families,” she wrote on X on Saturday.
“The American people deserve a leader who cares about them, and the Ukrainian people deserve allies who will stand by their side in the fight for a free, democratic, and independent nation,” she added, according to the outlet.
A truce by decree
The backlash did not stop the president from doubling down. Before flying to an Ohio campaign rally on Monday for Republicans Jon Husted and Vivek Ramaswamy, Trump claimed that Moscow and Kyiv had agreed to a ceasefire. Both countries have flatly denied that any such deal exists.
When a reporter at the White House asked about those denials, the president brushed them aside. “Well, they agreed,” Trump responded, as quoted by the Irish Star. “You know why? Because I said, ‘You agree.’ That’s why. They agreed because I said they agree.”
Calling for new leadership
Trump also insisted that Putin “wants to make a deal more than Zelensky” as the nearly five-year conflict drags on. When pressed on how Moscow could want peace while actively bombing Ukraine, he avoided the question and walked away.
Instead, the president demanded a change at the top in Kyiv after weeks of telling Ukraine to stop hitting Russian energy sites. “I suggest they get a new leader who can make a deal, because he could have made many deals, and, for some reason, he never does,” Trump said, according to the outlet.
He ended by accusing the Ukrainian leader of hurting American agriculture. “He wants to make problems for the world,” Trump said of Zelensky. “He wants to make problems for our farmers, our ranchers, with diesel fuel.”
