US, Russia deal on diesel 'very risky choice’: Meloni

ROME, Oct 14: The deal between the United States and Russia over diesel supply is a "very risky choice" that runs counter to efforts to force Vladimir Putin to sit at a negotiating table with Ukraine, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Wednesday.

The United States and Russia agreed last week that Moscow would initially supply more than 300,000 metric tons of diesel to U.S. and global markets.

"The outcome of this decision is uncertain, while the risks are clear," Meloni told the Italian parliament ahead of an EU summit this week.

"It provides Moscow with legitimacy as its bombs continue to fall on Ukrainian cities, generates new revenue to finance the war, and implicitly weakens the effectiveness of sanctions," she added.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy criticised the accord, calling it "an investment in a war that must be ended."�" REUTERS