Putin is already sending the diesel, Trump can prepare the victory flag

Behold the floating result of Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin's joint deal: the first tanker has already left Russian territorial waters and is heading for New York, carrying nearly 300,000 barrels of diesel on board. Moscow, of course, isn't wasting any time on discretion — Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak announced on Tuesday that three ships are already on their way to the United States, and a fourth will set off on Wednesday. It's almost surprising that they don't issue a separate victory statement for every nautical mile covered, complete with a photo of the ship's wake rippling triumphantly toward the American market.

Trump struck a deal with Putin this month to ease sanctions against Russia, in exchange for Russian diesel returning to the world market — the goal is steely: pushing down American fuel prices before the midterm elections on November 3, meaning the matter of export revenues financing the war against Ukraine has been neatly fitted into the Republican campaign calendar. If all goes well, Trump will soon be able to proudly wave the deal flag over the arriving tankers and explain what a wonderful bargain he struck for America, while the Kremlin, for its part, tells the same story to the Russian public. According to data from the shipping tracker Kpler, the first vessel loaded nearly 300,000 barrels of diesel at Primorsk before setting off for New York. But just as important as the quantity right now is the cargo's political usefulness, since in the final days before the election any story the White House can attach to the message that Trump personally is bringing a cheaper life comes in handy. That Putin is also cashing in on the deal apparently fits somewhere in the fine print, preferably as far from the cameras as possible, so it doesn't spoil the presidential self-celebration.

Understandably, there's less enthusiasm for this commercial romance in Ukraine: Volodymyr Zelensky called the agreement a "weak decision," one that has also drawn fierce criticism from European allies. Seen from Kyiv, it is a rather peculiar form of help when Washington tries to bring down prices at American pumps by easing the business dealings of the very state attacking Ukraine. Ukrainians bear the burdens of the war, while Trump can get ready to make sure his name appears in the biggest letters on the campaign photo at the gas station. The day's diplomatic harmony is further polished by the fact that Putin, also on Tuesday, once again expressed pity for Europeans, who, he says, are paying a heavy price for refusing to buy gas from Moscow. Winter is approaching, so out comes yet another episode of the long-running show about Europe freezing in its own stupidity, while new deals are already being planned with American partners. The Kremlin's offer remains irresistible: buy gas, diesel, crude oil — maybe cotton candy next time — just let the money finally arrive, because while the fate of European families is close to Putin's heart, this great wave of compassion is, after all, also rather urgently about Russian revenue.

Rant