Trump importing Russian diesel has strained UK-US relations, Foreign Secretary says

President Trump’s decision to import Russian diesel has strained diplomatic relations with the UK, creating a ‘very difficult few days’ since the announcement on Friday, the Foreign Secretary said yesterday.

Ed Miliband and European allies gave a public show of support to Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky after Mr Trump suggested Ukraine needs a new leader and claimed Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted a peace deal more than the Kyiv government.

Mr Trump has also blamed Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries - rather than the Iran war - for the global spike in energy costs.

In a sign that approaches to President Trump might be hardening under the new Prime Minister, Mr Miliband warned ‘wrong messages’ sent to Mr Putin set back European security.

Speaking at the Warsaw Security Forum, Mr Miliband said: “Within the bounds of diplomacy we should acknowledge it’s been a very difficult few days.”

He said Mr Zelensky had shown “extraordinary leadership over the last four-and-a-half years in the most difficult of circumstances” since Mr Putin’s invasion.

He added: “I was with him in Ukraine last week as we went to the site where 22 innocent civilians were killed, including five children. He feels every death personally and I think we should praise his leadership today from this forum.”

Mr Miliband said the issue of an “energy ceasefire” raised by Mr Trump should be taken seriously “because in the last week alone we’ve seen 200 Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure”.

He added: “So let us take up this idea of the full energy ceasefire and let us seek with President Trump to hold Putin to this full energy ceasefire, because that is what we need.

“And President Zelensky has shown his openness to this idea.”

With little cause for optimism that Russia plans to honour the energy ceasefire, the price of brent crude remains at over $100 a barrel, just as the northern hemisphere heads into winter, increasing energy demands.

Elsewhere yesterday, the Government announced reforms to the heating oil sector it said will better protect consumers against price gauging, with costs already high and rising.

Meanwhile, the Defence Secretary Wes Streeting again defended delays on clarifying how the UK would meet its 3 per cent spending commitment, saying making un-costed spending commitments could cause a ‘Liz Truss-style’ run on the markets.

At the Warsaw security forum, the Foreign Secretary said the UK would act with the European Union if the bloc could agree measures to use frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine.

He added: “We know that every wrong message that is sent to President Putin is a message that sets back our security and sets back the Ukrainian cause, and we need to send the right messages.”

Mr Miliband also said Europe had to do more to respond to Russia’s hybrid warfare threat.

SEE MORE PAGE FOUR, COMMENT PAGE 10