NEW YORK, October 18. /TASS/. US President is trying to finds an "innovative" approach to resolving the conflict in Ukraine, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said, commenting on the US-Russia diesel deal.
"The war has gone on for four and a half years, and so what President Trump is trying to do is find what different way will lead to peace. Clearly, rational conversation dialogues have not worked. He's always looking for innovations," he said in an interview with CNN.
"This is quite innovative, actually. What does the world need most of all for energy right now? Diesel. What is Russia not able to supply right now? Diesel. This is a motivation for Russia to figure out how they can actually export some diesel," he said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump held a phone call on October 9, during which they discussed, among other things, petroleum product supplies. The Russian president said that Moscow had reiterated its readiness to supply oil and petroleum products to the United States and global markets. According to Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak, Russia will lift its ban on diesel exports ahead of schedule and is ready to supply 300,000 tons of diesel in October, increasing the volume to 500,000 tons in November and 1 million tons in December. Monthly supplies could subsequently reach 3 million tons. The US administration, in turn, issued a general license authorizing Russian diesel supplies to the global market until April 7, 2027.