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To be honest, it is time to put the president in an uncomfortable situation. What he is doing is a disgrace to our country, and I am not afraid to say it, said Republican Congressman Don Bacon, a retired U.S. Air Force brigadier general representing Nebraska, adding that this initiative helps to show that the U.S. Congress stands on the side of Ukraine, not Russia. #Ukraina #Zelenski #Trump (translated)

The account BrennpunktUA stated that the US Congress is planning to block an energy deal between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. Republican Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick announced that a bipartisan coalition would soon introduce a bill aimed at prohibiting all purchases of Russian oil products. The draft is to be called the "Ronald Reagan Peace Through Strength Act." According to Fitzpatrick, a vote in Plenary would be forced using a so-called "Discharge Petition" procedure, and the draft would be passed by an overwhelming majority. If successful, the procedure could be completed very quickly, according to BrennpunktUA. #USPolitics #Trump #Putin (translated)

Anna asked whether a diesel agreement between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin could have been made before its announcement. She wrote that the tanker Minerva Zen left Saint Petersburg on September 22 – 17 days before Trump's announcement. The ship, sailing under the Greek flag, had an undisclosed destination since its departure and was supposed to reach the US East Coast on October 11 or 12, according to data from Windward and Vortexa, a week after the House of Representatives voted for the Graham sanctions law. The route is documented, but the cargo is not, Anna wrote. Shipping papers are not available; estimates range from 230,000 to 300,000 barrels of diesel. Shipping analyst Michelle Wiese Bockmann could not say whether the ship had been redirected after Trump's announcement or whether an agreement had already existed before. Anna also pointed out that the US Treasury Department had issued General License No. 135 less than 24 hours before the report, allowing the import of Russian diesel until April 2027. She related the issuance on Thursday, a phone call on Friday, and the departure of the tanker on September 22, stating that the timing seemed unusual. While Kyiv had urged Congress to implement the Graham law, Washington could have already planned differently, according to her account. She cited Windward and Vortexa, quoted by Nasha Niva, as well as UkrMedia and NPR. #DieselDeal #Trump #Putin (translated)

Anna wrote that US Senators Schumer, Shaheen, and Warren called Trump's diesel deal with Putin a "total betrayal" of Ukraine and pledged their support to Kyiv. They blamed the Iran war for rising fuel prices in the US and Europe and accused Trump of disregarding the bipartisan will of Congress, which had passed a law just weeks earlier prohibiting the purchase of Russian energy. The senators called for an end to the Iran war instead of financing Russia's war machinery, stating that Putin only responds to strength. Anna recalled that Trump told Zelensky in February 2025 at the White House that he had no cards. Now, Trump is allegedly asking Zelensky for oil with diesel prices exceeding $6 per gallon. According to Anna, Moscow is receiving a sanctions reprieve and new sales markets while Washington is facing accusations of betrayal in its own Senate. She cited a joint statement from the senators, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Arab News, and SRF as sources. #Ukraine #Trump #Putin (translated)

Henri Vanhanen wrote that Donald Trump's Russia policy may not have been guided by a coherent strategy. According to him, Trump made decisions one by one, seeking quick political gains, and then had to fix the consequences. In his assessment, Vanhanen linked Trump's diminished commitment to arming Ukraine, the energy price increases resulting from the war in Iran, and the recent diesel trade with Russia. He believed that trade could bolster the Russian economy and give Vladimir Putin a means to pressure Ukraine into halting strikes on Russia's oil refineries. Vanhanen also criticized Trump for condemning strikes that he claimed weakened Russia's war economy. Vanhanen noted that Trump’s administration had not sought significant new funding from Congress for arming Ukraine. According to him, previously agreed deliveries had continued, and European countries had purchased American weapons for Ukraine. He stated that Trump was not fundamentally on the side of Ukraine or Europe but was primarily pursuing his own interests. According to Vanhanen, Finland's security should not be built on the assumption that there is a plan behind Trump's decisions that would turn in favor of Europe. He urged preparedness for the possibility that U.S. aid could be delayed or smaller than expected, to strengthen the availability of defense equipment and air defense, and to deepen cooperation with Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Britain, Poland, and the Baltic countries. He also believed that Europe should be able to support Ukraine and maintain economic pressure on Russia by its own means. #Trump #Venäjä #Ukraina (translated)

Dr. Michael Schmitz wrote that he managed to get up, shower, take a taxi 24 kilometers through Hamburg to the airport, and go through baggage check and security control all within 60 minutes. After that, he set off for the DGHO Congress in Vienna. #Reise #Wien #DGHO2023 (translated)