Zelensky unleashes on Trump over Russia diesel deal

Zelensky unleashes on Trump over Russia diesel deal

Kyiv’s allies, including those in President Trump’s circle, are rallying around Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, pushing back against Trump’s diesel deal with Russia and threats to cut off weapons and intelligence sharing to Ukraine.

Zelensky, buoyed by the support, has unleashed criticism against Trump , calling the president “weak” for making a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin. And he’s challenging Trump’s narrative over high diesel prices, pointing to the U.S. war with Iran as the main driver.

“Everybody understands that the prices of diesel, it doesn’t depend on our attacks on diesel in Russia,” Zelensky said in an interview with Fox News’s Bill Hemmer on Monday, addressing Trump’s favorite news channel during the morning hours, when he’s reportedly most likely to be watching.

“Everybody understands that it depends on the blocking of the Strait of Hormuz.”

Zelensky’s indignation followed Trump’s announcement on Friday that he was lifting sanctions on Russian diesel exports in an effort to lower prices in the U.S. — promoting the deal as a salve before the midterms as American voters fret over the cost of living.

Trump’s diesel deal drew immediate and wide-ranging pushback from Ukraine’s supporters.

Fox News host Mark Levin, who has a direct line to the president, said Putin is the actual obstacle to achieving peace in Eastern Europe and highlighted the Kremlin’s support for Iran in its conflict against the U.S.

Fox News host Brian Kilmeade, meanwhile, threw down over the weekend with co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy — who is married to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy — as she backed Trump’s criticism of Zelensky.

“It would be the biggest mistake of his administration to work with Russia,” Kilmeade said, speaking about the president.

My colleagues Laura Kelly and Filip Timotija have a breakdown of the furor over Trump’s deal with Russia.

Welcome to The Hill’s Defense & National Security newsletter, I’m Ellen Mitchell — your guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond.

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Oil prices rose Monday, after the Iranian-backed Houthis launched attacks on two airports in Saudi Arabia over the weekend. Brent Crude, the international benchmark, closed at nearly $106 per barrel as of late Monday afternoon, up roughly $1.20 from closing time Friday. The price of Brent Crude peaked at $107.33 earlier in the day. West Texas Intermediate Crude, the North American standard, reached $94.36 during Monday trading …

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Sunday he was unsure how the Iran war will end, with the eight-month mark of the conflict nearing. “I don’t know what ‘crying uncle’ is in Farsi, but they’re going to be crying uncle. You know, they are collapsing. They can’t pay their soldiers. And Rachel, I don’t know how this ends. You never know how this ends,” Bessent told Fox News’s Rachel Campos-Duffy on “Fox …

Archbishop Timothy Broglio, head of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, on Monday said he does not approve of the Trump administration’s decision to livestream the military execution of convicted Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan, warning that it could “imitate the terrorists.” Broglio said in a statement released by the Archdiocese for the Military Services that he sends his sympathy to the families and …

The Pentagon and the Small Business Administration (SBA) signed a new agreement on Monday that will expand access to strategic capital for small businesses in the U.S. defense industrial base. The agreement, first reported by The Hill, is building on the Smaller War Plants Commission (SWPC), which was announced in late August, and will aid suppliers, innovators and manufacturers in gaining access to more capital to strengthen …

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Democrat rips ‘insanely corrupt’ raid on Omar’s home

Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) slammed the federal raid on Rep. Ilhan Omar’s (D-Minn.) home as “insanely corrupt” in a post on social media Monday. “As [President] Trump’s popularity craters amid rising prices and his deeply unpopular war, everything he does is an attempt to distract his remaining followers,” …

The Association of the United States Army will hold Day 1 of its annual meeting and exposition starting at 7 a.m.

Hudson Institute will hold its Czech-US Defense and Security Forum at 12:15 p.m.

Government Executive Media Group ‘s Defense One will discuss “ The Future Battlefield ,” at 4:30 p.m.

The Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation will have a virtual talk on “A Costly Silence: Why Your Policymakers Should Be Talking About the $1.5T Pentagon Budget ,” at 7 p.m.

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Army caught off guard by Hegseth’s order to make firing squad execution public, CNN reports

Pentagon raises official toll of troops who died during war with Iran to 21, The Washington Post reports

Shannon O’Brien, chair of the Montana Democratic Party, on Monday announced her resignation and endorsed Montana independent Senate candidate … Read more

Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan (D) leads her GOP opponent, former NFL sideline reporter Michele Tafoya, in a new poll on the state’s U.S. Senate … Read more

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