Fox News host issues blistering take on Trump’s decision to buy 300k tons of diesel from Russia: ‘They’re the bad guys’

Fox News host Brian Kilmeade launched a blistering attack on President Donald Trump’s decision to buy Russian diesel, warning that working with Vladimir Putin could become the biggest mistake of his presidency.

The explosive confrontation erupted live on Fox & Friends Weekend on Sunday as Kilmeade, 62, clashed with co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy over Trump’s increasingly hostile relationship with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Kilmeade accused Putin of being responsible for the bloodshed in Ukraine, fiercely defended Kyiv’s military campaign and warned that American money flowing into Russia would benefit the very country that started the war.

‘They’re the bad guys,’ Kilmeade declared during the heated exchange.

He went even further, comparing the Russian leader to Adolf Hitler and warned that closer cooperation between Washington and Moscow could have devastating consequences.

‘It would be the biggest mistake of his administration to work with Russia,’ Kilmeade said. ‘That’s the modern Hitler of our generation.’

The extraordinary on-air disagreement came after Trump temporarily eased US sanctions on Russian diesel, triggering an international backlash and accusations that his administration was helping bankroll Moscow’s war machine.

The move followed mounting pressure on global energy supplies as the conflict involving Iran sent fuel prices soaring, creating a political headache for Republicans ahead of next month’s midterm elections.

Trump subsequently suggested Ukraine might need a new president after Zelensky condemned the Russian fuel arrangement.

But Kilmeade was having none of it.

‘The president got ticked off because Zelensky came out and said, “Do not buy five hundred million tons of diesel,”‘ he said.

Kilmeade argued that Zelensky was understandably furious at the prospect of additional American money entering Russia’s economy while Ukrainian soldiers continued fighting Moscow’s invasion.

‘There’s one person who’s responsible; Vladimir Putin. That is it,’ he insisted. ‘And he’s getting his ass kicked.’

Campos-Duffy challenged that assessment, suggesting Zelensky had repeatedly undermined efforts to end the conflict by continuing Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries despite Trump’s objections.

She argued that the strikes were worsening fuel shortages and hurting the administration politically.

But Kilmeade rejected the suggestion that Ukraine was principally responsible for the diplomatic deadlock.

‘There’s no plausible, practical peace effort that Vladimir Putin would participate in effectively that would end this war,’ he said.

The discussion grew increasingly tense when Campos-Duffy questioned whether her colleague was putting Ukrainian interests ahead of America’s.

‘Are you for America or Ukraine?’ she demanded.

Kilmeade responded by pointing to the wider Middle East conflict, arguing that disruptions to fuel supplies had been driven by Iranian attacks on energy infrastructure in Gulf states.

He also praised Ukraine’s technological advances in using drones to strike Russian energy facilities, describing the country’s battlefield innovations as extraordinary.

‘The Ukrainians have modernized modern war before our very eyes,’ he said.

Campos-Duffy countered by highlighting the enormous human cost of the fighting, arguing that young soldiers were dying in staggering numbers.

When she insisted Trump wanted peace in Ukraine, Kilmeade fired back: ‘Tell Vladimir Putin!’

Campos-Duffy then suggested Trump’s willingness to cooperate with Moscow might finally force a breakthrough because Zelensky had become too arrogant.

That prompted Kilmeade to fire back once again. 

‘He is the cause of all the problems in the region,’ Kilmeade said of Putin, accusing Russia of helping Iran threaten American troops and military installations.

Earlier on Sunday, Trump unexpectedly announced what he called an immediate energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.

‘Effective immediately, there is an ENERGY CEASEFIRE in the War between Russia and Ukraine,’ the president declared on Truth Social. 

‘Both parties have agreed. Do not break it!’

But the announcement immediately raised questions about whether any genuine agreement had been reached.

Zelensky appeared surprised by the declaration and said he was seeking further information, although he emphasized that Ukraine supported a halt to attacks on energy infrastructure.

Russia had not publicly confirmed its participation.

Meanwhile, Zelensky reported that Russian strikes had hit multiple Ukrainian power facilities on Sunday, including installations in Kyiv and Kharkiv.

‘Ukrainian skies have been infested with Russian ‘shaheds’ all day,’ he said, referring to Iranian-designed attack drones widely used by Moscow.

The reported bombardments threatened to undermine Trump’s ceasefire announcement almost immediately.

European allies, including Britain, France and Germany, expressed support for efforts to halt attacks on energy infrastructure while maintaining their backing for Ukraine.

But Trump’s separate decision to ease restrictions on Russian diesel attracted fierce criticism.

Seven American senators, including four Republicans, issued a statement condemning the arrangement as illegal.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney also attacked the move, saying it was ‘in direct opposition to the efforts of Ukraine, Canada and our allies to create peace and stability in Europe.’

Zelensky branded the diesel arrangement a ‘weak decision’ and rejected Trump’s suggestion that Ukraine needed a change of leadership.

‘It’s up to our society, up to our people to choose one or another leader,’ he told ABC News.

The Ukrainian president argued that the real source of rising energy prices was the Middle East war and disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.