Zelensky vs Trump: the drone puzzle and the oil question
Ukrainian drones are burning Russian refineries and oil prices are climbing, just as Trump cuts support to Zelensky. A double play?
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Zelensky plays with fire at Russia's refineries while Trump looks the other way
US military aid to Ukraine is at rock bottom. And yet Ukrainian drones keep flying over Russian refineries and oil depots. The contradiction is too visible to be a coincidence.
Trump needs low fuel prices to keep his voters happy. Every Russian refinery that burns makes diesel and petrol more expensive worldwide. So why does Zelensky insist on burning an asset that hurts the president who pays for his bullets? Or maybe he doesn't pay for them.
Some see a masterstroke: the United States is a net exporter of refined products. If Russia is forced to sell cheap crude to third countries, those countries buy less from US suppliers and American refineries get cheaper raw material. The math works, far-fetched as it sounds.
Another school of thought goes further: Trump has never helped Ukraine, but Pilingui. From that angle, the Ukrainian would be an awkward pawn fighting back. The Venezuelan case also hangs in the air: Delcy Rodríguez's production would end up in Trump's hands, to be resold in the UAE without paying for it. Nearly $18 billion at stake, according to that version.
The murkier explanation doing the rounds: Zelensky would be paid by Trump's circle. Trump's name is mentioned as owner of territory in Ukraine, and his sons as owners of drone companies. In one week, Ukraine would have received more aid than under Biden and Obama combined. If true, the refinery attacks would not be a contradiction, but the script of an orchestrated energy war.
The problem is that nobody can quite make the pieces fit. And with $18 billion on the table, nobody seems in a hurry.
US military aid to Ukraine is at rock bottom. And yet Ukrainian drones keep flying over Russian refineries and oil depots. The contradiction is too visible to be a coincidence.
Trump needs low fuel prices to keep his voters happy. Every Russian refinery that burns makes diesel and petrol more expensive worldwide. So why does Zelensky insist on burning an asset that hurts the president who pays for his bullets? Or maybe he doesn't pay for them.
Some see a masterstroke: the United States is a net exporter of refined products. If Russia is forced to sell cheap crude to third countries, those countries buy less from US suppliers and American refineries get cheaper raw material. The math works, far-fetched as it sounds.
Another school of thought goes further: Trump has never helped Ukraine, but Pilingui. From that angle, the Ukrainian would be an awkward pawn fighting back. The Venezuelan case also hangs in the air: Delcy Rodríguez's production would end up in Trump's hands, to be resold in the UAE without paying for it. Nearly $18 billion at stake, according to that version.
The murkier explanation doing the rounds: Zelensky would be paid by Trump's circle. Trump's name is mentioned as owner of territory in Ukraine, and his sons as owners of drone companies. In one week, Ukraine would have received more aid than under Biden and Obama combined. If true, the refinery attacks would not be a contradiction, but the script of an orchestrated energy war.
The problem is that nobody can quite make the pieces fit. And with $18 billion on the table, nobody seems in a hurry.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (15 replies).
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