News DeskTechnologyTrump Lifts Russian Diesel Sanctions, Demands Zelenskyy's Ouster
Verified Curriculum CorpusPublished: Today
Technology·CEFR B1·Intermediate

Trump Lifts Diesel Ban and Criticises Ukraine's Leader

Article Level ·●B1·Intermediate
2 min read·144 words·Audio: 1:09
AI-generated illustration (not a photograph) of the setting of this story: Trump Lifts Diesel Ban and Criticises Ukraine's Leader
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Studio Narration
00:0001:09
Reading PassageRead-along: word by word (UK)
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US President Trump has agreed to trade on Russian diesel fuel. This means Russia can now sell diesel on global markets. The was made during talks in Miami. Ukrainian, US and European officials were present at the meeting.
Trump also said that Ukrainian President Zelenskyy should be as his country's leader. Zelenskyy called this choice painful. He said the diesel was weak.
However, some US Republicans the move. Senator Tom Tillis said Trump was likely breaking a 2022 law. That law energy imports from Russia.
Trump also tried to stop attacks on energy sites between Ukraine and Russia over the weekend. The Kremlin his call. Axios reported that the diesel deal was a response to Ukraine's attacks on Russian oil refineries.
Experts have linked Trump's threats to Ukraine to the US midterm elections on November 3.

Study this lesson

Activities for CEFR B1, all based on the story above.

1. Grammar focus

One structure from the story, explained, with sentences taken from the text.

Reporting what people said

said (that) + a statement, usually one tense back

To say what another person said, use said (that) + the news. The verb often moves back in time: "It is ready" becomes she said it was ready.

From the story
  • Axios reported that the diesel deal was a response to Ukraine's attacks on Russian oil refineries.
  • Senator Tom Tillis said Trump was likely breaking a 2022 law.
  • He said the diesel decision was weak.

Notice: Who is speaking in each sentence, and what did they say?

2. Vocabulary

Useful words and phrases from the story, with meanings and examples.

Words from the story

6 Target Terms
ban/bæn/
noun · B1

an official rule that says something is not allowed

“There is a ban on smoking in all public buildings.”

Often with: trade ban, impose a ban, lift a ban

lift/lɪft/
verb · B1

to remove or end an official rule or restriction

“The government decided to lift the speed limit on the new highway.”

Often with: lift a ban, lift a restriction, lift sanctions

decision/dɪˈsɪʒən/
noun · B1

the act of choosing something after thinking about it

“She made the decision to study abroad after talking to her parents.”

Often with: make a decision, important decision, final decision

replace/rɪˈpleɪs/
verb · B1

to take the place of someone or something, or to put a new person or thing in the position of an old one

“The company hired a new manager to replace the one who left.”

Often with: replace a leader, replace a player, replace someone

criticise/ˈkrɪtɪsaɪz/
verb · B1

to say that something or someone is wrong or bad

“Many people criticised the new plan because it was too expensive.”

Often with: criticise a decision, criticise someone publicly, heavily criticised

ignore/ɪɡˈnɔːr/
verb · B1

to pay no attention to something or refuse to consider it

“He ignored the warning sign and walked into the closed area.”

Often with: ignore a call, ignore a warning, completely ignore

3. Check your understanding

Questions about the story. Answer first; each question explains the answer.

Reading Comprehension

Fact Verification
Passage

US President Trump has agreed to lift trade bans on Russian diesel fuel. This means Russia can now sell diesel on global markets. The decision was made during talks in Miami. Ukrainian, US and European officials were present at the meeting. Trump also said that Ukrainian President Zelenskyy should be replaced as his country's leader. Zelenskyy called this choice painful. He said the diesel decision was weak. However, some US Republicans criticised the move. Senator Tom Tillis said Trump was likely breaking a 2022 law. That law bans energy imports from Russia. Trump also tried to stop attacks on energy sites between Ukraine and Russia over the weekend. The Kremlin ignored his call. Axios reported that the diesel deal was a response to Ukraine's attacks on Russian oil refineries. Experts have linked Trump's threats to Ukraine to the US midterm elections on November 3.

1. Where was the decision to lift diesel bans made?
2. How did Zelenskyy react to Trump's comments?
3. What did Senator Tom Tillis say about the move?

Short-Answer Comprehension

Precision Recall

Answer the prompt in a concise phrase or sentence. Your answer will be checked against stored accepted answers, and you can compare your wording with the authentic editorial model response.

4. Practice

Activities with instant feedback. Try each one before you look at the answer key.

Contextual Syntax Drill

Grammar & Tenses

Fill in each blank with the grammatically correct passive or active form of the verb indicated in parentheses.

1. Trumpto lift trade bans on Russian diesel fuel.(present perfect)
2. Some US Republicansthe move.(past simple)
3. The Kremlinhis call over the weekend.(past simple)
4. ExpertsTrump's threats to Ukraine to the US midterm elections.(present perfect)

Lexical Matching Drill

Vocabulary in Context

Select the matching definition for each target news term extracted from the report.

lift
ban
decision
replace
criticise
ignore

5. Write or speak

A short task in your own words.

Guided Writing Practice & Model Comparison

Productive Synthesis
Writing Prompt:

Write a concise summary in your own words (target: 50–90 words). Incorporate the target vocabulary: decision, criticised, ignored, replaced.

Target range: 50–90 words·Current: 0 words
Self-Assessment Checklist Rubric0 of 4 criteria met

Review your draft against each pedagogical criterion before completing the exercise:

Answer key and explanations

Try the activities first: you learn more by checking your own answers. Then compare.