Pence calls on Trump to restore sanctions, scrap Russia diesel deal

In September, US President Donald Trump's envoys visited Kyiv and suggested to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that they should consider restarting the pipelines that once conveyed Russian gas to Europe as part of a peace deal with Russia, according to The New York Times on 17 October. The envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, presented this idea to Zelenskyy during their meeting in Kyiv, citing people familiar with the talks.

They argued that Ukraine would benefit from giving up transit fees, estimated at about $1 billion annually, and that European voters would eventually prefer cheaper energy. The envoys also positioned this as one of several economic incentives in a broader settlement covering Russia's relationship with NATO, security assurances for Ukraine, and territorial control.

Some European and Ukrainian officials suspected that Washington might seek a share of the profits. However, German officials, like Günter Sautter, security adviser to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, strongly opposed the idea, with Habeck stating that Trump seemed to favor Vladimir Putin over Ukraine. Despite the disagreement, the US Treasury waived US sanctions on Russian diesel imports two days before the deadline, citing US interests, and also waived penalties on Russia's oil buyers under the Graham Act.