US President Donald Trump’s reported agreement to purchase Russian diesel has triggered fresh tensions in efforts to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine, with European officials saying the move caught participants in earlier peace discussions off guard.

According to The Independent, citing The Telegraph, US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner had discussed stronger security commitments for Kyiv during negotiations with Ukrainian representatives in Miami last weekend, raising hopes of progress towards a possible settlement.

The discussions reportedly included assurances beyond earlier proposals involving air patrols and satellite intelligence. However, concerns remained over whether Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky would have to surrender territory under any eventual agreement.

The diplomatic atmosphere reportedly changed after Trump announced an arrangement permitting Russia to supply diesel to international markets, including a planned US purchase of 300,000 tonnes. European Commission official Bjorn Seibert, who attended the Miami meeting, was said to have expressed surprise at the development.

US representatives reportedly viewed the fuel arrangement as a way to encourage Russian President Vladimir Putin to consider ending the conflict by offering the prospect of renewed economic engagement. However, a European diplomat dismissed that reasoning, and the discussions ended without an agreement.

Zelensky said Ukraine had not been informed about the diesel arrangement before it became public. He questioned the decision and suggested Washington should explore a similar deal with Kyiv instead.

The development also drew criticism from European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, who stressed that Russia started the war and urged Washington not to lose sight of that fact in its dealings with Moscow.

Trump, in response to criticism over the arrangement, accused European countries of continuing to purchase Russian energy despite the war. Figures from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air show that the EU has paid approximately €238.6 billion for Russian fossil fuels since February 2022, although imports have declined sharply since 2023.