The Cuban boxer Yordenis Ugás strongly criticized the Trump administration this Friday following the announcement of the energy agreement between Washington and Moscow that permits the massive importation of Russian diesel to the United States, calling the decision a blatant shift in favor of the Kremlin while the war against Ukraine continues.
"Incredible. More money for Russia to continue killing Ukrainians. Now we are shamelessly on the side of Russia. And they said Biden was the lazy one. This president does not care about the actions of the murderer and genocidal maniac Putin to ally with him," Ugás wrote on Friday on his X account.
In his post, Ugás highlighted the contradiction between Congress —which is pushing for sanctions against Moscow— and U.S. President Donald Trump, who, in search of better fuel prices, ultimately ended up funding the Russian war machine.
The agreement announced by Trump involves the supply of over 4.8 million tons of Russian diesel: more than 300,000 tons immediately, 500,000 in November, one million shortly thereafter, and up to three million more dependent on the condition of Russian refineries, which have been damaged by Ukrainian attacks.
The Department of the Treasury issued OFAC General License 135 to temporarily authorize these operations until April 7, 2027, at a time when the price of diesel in the United States hovered around $6.28 per gallon.
The measure directly clashes with the bipartisan sanctions law that the Senate passed on August 7 with 86 votes in favor and 11 against, aimed specifically at limiting Russian energy revenues that finance the war.
In his post, Ugás referred indirectly to former Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a proponent of the legislation: «What must the senator be thinking who spent the last years of his life drafting a law to condemn Russia and Putin?», in an implicit reference to the late senator.
The Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky also rejected the agreement, calling it "unfair," warning that the revenue obtained by Russia could finance and prolong the conflict.
Ugás's reaction to the Trump-Putin pact is not an isolated incident, but rather part of a pattern of public criticism from the former WBA welterweight champion towards this administration.
In July, the boxer questioned the ICE raids against immigrant workers without criminal records, after witnessing arrests at a car wash, and asked: «What happened to what President Trump said?», referring to the promise to only target criminals.
Weeks later, he reported that immigrants were being hunted down “worse than animals” by armed and masked agents, and described the immigration detention centers as “infamous and inhumane.”
Behind that activism is a personal story: his mother, Heydi Sánchez Tejeda, was deported to Cuba in April 2025 during a routine appointment with ICE in Tampa, without any criminal record, which marked a turning point in his public stance on Trump's immigration policies.
Ugás also criticized in April 2025 the tariff war against China, warning that if the strategy failed, "he will be the only one to blame" and that it could trigger a global economic crisis.
Related videos:
Filed under: