President Donald Trump said on Friday that Russia will send millions of tons of diesel to world markets. He said he had agreed this with Vladimir Putin on a phone call. The Treasury Department then eased sanctions to make it possible.
The announcement reverses years of US pressure on Moscow over its war in Ukraine. It also comes less than four weeks before the 3 November midterm elections, with fuel prices a political problem for the president.
What Trump says was agreed
In a Truth Social post, Trump said Russia would “immediately supply” more than 300,000 tons of diesel. According to CNBC, he said another 500,000 tons would follow in November and 1 million tons soon after that. He added that Russia would then deliver a further 3 million tons, depending on the condition of its refineries.
CNBC reports that the Treasury Department issued a general license on Friday. It temporarily waives sanctions on Russian diesel through April 2027.
The quantities are modest next to US demand. CNN, citing the US Energy Information Administration, reported that the first two tranches together, about 6 million barrels, would cover roughly a day and a half of US consumption.
Why diesel, and why now
CNBC reports that diesel prices have surged worldwide as Ukraine has struck Russian refineries, leading Moscow to ban diesel exports. The Hill links the shortages to US military operations against Iran as well as the war in Ukraine.
A US official told CNN that Washington had repeatedly asked Ukraine to stop attacking Russian diesel refineries, without success. According to that official, those attacks were part of what led Trump to make the deal.
Earlier in the week, CNBC notes, Trump signed an executive order letting truckers use tax-exempt off-road diesel on highways without federal penalty. The order only defers the tax, which has left some confusion over whether truckers will have to pay later.
Kyiv and Democrats object
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said easing sanctions without a Russian commitment to de-escalate would only prolong the war, CNBC reports. According to a statement from the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington, cited by the Associated Press, he called it “a weak decision, unfortunately, a weak decision by strong partners.”
The AP noted the timing. Trump announced the deal while his envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner were meeting Ukrainian officials in Miami about a proposal to end the war.
CNN reported that the exchange between Trump and Zelenskyy turned sharp. Its headline said Trump argued Ukraine should get a new leader. The excerpt I could read did not include the exact wording, so the details of that exchange are not reproduced here.
Democrats in Congress were quick to attack. The Hill reports that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called it a “deal with the devil” meant to rescue the president’s “flailing political fortunes.” He said it would help a Putin who, in his words, is helping Iran target American troops. Rep. Don Beyer of Virginia, the senior House Democrat on the Joint Economic Committee, also criticized the move.
Questions still open
The AP says the move casts doubt on whether the White House will impose sanctions on Russia this month. A bipartisan law that Trump signed last month directs the administration to target the top buyers of Russian oil and gas.
The White House did not immediately say who would pay for the diesel or when it would arrive, the AP reported. It also did not say whether the November shipments would land before Election Day.
The Kremlin’s side of the arrangement was not detailed in the reports reviewed. Trump’s account of the volumes comes from his own post, and the sources do not show independent confirmation from Moscow.
The administration’s case rests on prices. Supporters of the move would argue that even a small increase in supply could ease pressure on drivers, farmers and truckers. Critics counter that it rewards Russia while the war continues and undercuts a sanctions law Congress passed on a bipartisan basis.