President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed during his second term that he would end the war between Russia and Ukraine. The self-proclaimed President of Peace, who has taken credit for ending eight wars, had previously sounded confident regarding the Russia-Ukraine war reaching a peaceful conclusion.
However, now that the US and Israel have jointly attacked Iran and the conflict is escalating with every passing day, Trump’s focus seems to have shifted from Ukraine as he is now more invested in Iran. According to the Financial Times, four EU diplomats who are involved in the negotiation process with Ukraine have opined that it is the Middle East conflict that has Washington’s attention now, and the Russia-Ukraine war has taken a backseat.
According to the diplomats, the situation is decidedly in Russia’s favor now. With rising fuel prices, the US has temporarily lifted the sanctions on Russian oil with the aim of bringing down the surging charges amid the war with Iran. However, this move of the Trump administration has been denounced by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
🤬 it’s official, @POTUS just lifted all oil sanctions on russia, anyone can now buy their oil with impunity and at RECORD high prices, flooding the russian banks with cash to continue this war for many many more years.
Trump has just given a death sentence to Ukraine. 🤬🤬🤬 pic.twitter.com/FiLZACkqoq
— Richard Woodruff 🇺🇦 (@frontlinekit) March 10, 2026
It should be noted here that allowing the delivery and sale of Russian oil that is stranded at sea will lead to Putin gaining more advantage on his mission of invading Ukraine. Slamming Trump’s decision, Merz said, “We think that’s wrong. There is currently a price problem, but not a supply problem. And in that regard, I would like to know what other factors led the U.S. government to make this decision.”
Speaking alongside Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, Merz added, “We want to ensure that Russia does not exploit the war in Iran to weaken Ukraine. Nor will we allow Moscow to test NATO on its eastern flank and up here in the north.”
Zelenskyy also did not approve of the U.S.’s decision to ease the pressure on Russia, and speaking in Paris on Friday, the Ukrainian President said that the move seemed “not very logical.” Explaining the same, he added, “The lifting of sanctions means that [Russia] will receive more money and there will be more drone attacks” in the Middle East.
Zelenskyy then continued, “Russia will get money for its war machine and there are a lot of drones that are built on Russian soil to destabilize the Middle East. Russia is receiving new resources because of the destabilization, Ukraine must receive what has been promised.”
Macron echoed the same sentiment, saying, the fact that the prices are rising, “doesn’t mean we should review our sanctions policies against Russia. It’s the position of the G7 and it’s obviously ours.”
🚨 OLD: When Zelensky was publicly humiliated by Trump, he warned that one day the U.S. might need Ukraine’s help.
Now, as the Iran war escalates, Trump is asking allies — including Ukraine — for support. pic.twitter.com/aDq7IFunmO
— Globe Observer (@_GlobeObserver) March 15, 2026
However, Trump’s focus clearly appears to have shifted. Another round of negotiations regarding the Russia-Ukraine war was previously scheduled on March 5 in Abu Dhabi. However, with America’s attack on Iran, the Middle East quickly became a risky spot, leading to those negotiations getting postponed. A new date or time for the same has not yet been announced.
Talking about the situation, one EU diplomat said, “The Middle East has strongly refocused political attention. For us and for Ukraine, it is a disaster.” While the situation remains uncertain for now, a White House official said that Trump was still “hopeful” about the war coming to a conclusion as American negotiators had made “significant progress” in recent months.
