In an exclusive phone interview with Axios on Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed frustration with President Donald Trump's unilateral decision to lift sanctions on Russia, specifically allowing it to export diesel. He described the move as 'not fair and not honest,' comparing it to a 'happy birthday present' for Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose birthday had come earlier that week.
Zelensky told Axios, "You know, it looks like a happy birthday present for Putin. It looks absolutely terrible." He also said the decision was "not fair and not honest."
The announcement, which came as U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were meeting with Ukrainian negotiators and senior European diplomats in Miami, shocked the Ukrainian government and many European allies, precipitating a new diplomatic crisis between the U.S. and its Western partners.
The same day, his envoys were in Miami meeting with Ukrainian and European diplomats.
On 2026-10-09, President Donald Trump announced a unilateral decision to lift sanctions that had barred Russia from selling diesel abroad. The same day, his envoys were in Miami meeting with Ukrainian and European diplomats.
Exclusive: Zelensky tells Axios Trump's diesel deal with Putin "not fair and not honest" #Axios https://t.co/KY3vhBOH9t
Zelensky spoke with Axios about the decision. He called the sanction lift "not fair and not honest," echoing the language he used earlier in the conversation.