Trump Announces Diesel Deal With Putin, Reversing Years of US Pressure on Russia

US President Donald Trump announced on social media on Friday that he had agreed with Russian President Vladimir Putin, during a phone call, on diesel deliveries from Russia to the United States. The move reverses years of Washington's pressure on Moscow over its war in Ukraine, and is aimed at bringing down high fuel prices ahead of the US midterm elections on November 3.

The promised volumes

According to Trump, Russia will immediately supply more than 300,000 tonnes of diesel. A further 500,000 tonnes are due in November, followed by 1 million tonnes soon afterwards. Another 3 million tonnes are promised "within a short period of time" after that. Trump wrote that the call had been expected to cover a suspected case of plague in Russia.

His post did not mention sanctions or the war in Ukraine. He said lower prices for Americans, especially farmers, ranchers and truckers, were his greatest priority. The White House did not immediately say who would pay for the diesel or when it would become available, nor whether the November deliveries would arrive before Election Day. The US Treasury Department then said it was issuing a temporary license allowing Russian diesel to be supplied to the global market. Kirill Dmitriev, a Russian presidential envoy, reposted the announcement on X and said Russia-US cooperation on diesel and energy would benefit the world.

Sanctions law in question

Last month Trump signed a broad law on sanctions against Russia, designed to curb its energy economy. It provides for sanctions on Russian officials, banks and a shadow fleet of tankers, bans new US investment in Russia, and calls for tariffs of up to 100% on the five biggest importers of Russian oil or natural gas, with certain exceptions. The new deal raises doubts over whether the administration will impose such measures this month.

The US Energy Information Administration says the United States has not imported Russian oil or gas since 2022, when the Biden administration banned them. According to AAA, the US national average for a gallon of diesel was $6.23 on Friday, after a record $6.52 on September 22. Global fuel prices have surged as the war in Iran disrupts the energy sector.