Politics
Wright says diesel arrangement is meant to push Moscow toward ending Ukraine war
Energy Secretary Chris Wright defended President Donald Trump’s diesel deal with Russia as leverage for peace, not an economic rescue for Moscow. He said other efforts to bring Russia and Ukraine to the negotiating table had failed after four years of war.
WASHINGTON — Energy Secretary Chris Wright defended President Donald Trump’s diesel deal with Russia on Sunday, describing it as an incentive for Moscow to scale back its war in Ukraine.
“This is a carrot to try to end a war,” Wright said in an interview on ABC’s “This Week.” He rejected the suggestion that the arrangement would provide Russia an economic lifeline.
Wright argued that, after four years of conflict, other attempts to bring the two sides to the table had not succeeded. Trump was not prepared to give up on ending the war, Wright said, while acknowledging that the issue was difficult.
The remarks offered the administration’s public rationale for the diesel deal: using an economic benefit as a negotiating tool. Wright did not provide further details about the arrangement in the televised comments.