ABSTRACT

US President Donald Trump said on Friday that he had agreed with Russian President Vladimir Putin for Russia to supply diesel to the United States and global markets, and the US Treasury Department moved shortly afterwards to temporarily ease sanctions on Russian diesel. According to Trump's posts on his Truth Social platform, Russia will immediately supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel, followed by an additional 500,000 tons in November and 1 million tons "immediately thereafter," with a further 3 million tons to be delivered "within a short period of time" after that. The Japan Times reported the initial quantity as 300,000 metric tons, equal to about 2.25 million barrels, and said the US exports about 1.5 million barrels of diesel a day. The Treasury Department said it was immediately issuing a temporary general license allowing Russian diesel to be supplied to the global market; according to Fortune and NPR, US sanctions will not apply until April 2027 to deliveries of Russian diesel loaded onto tankers as of Friday. The announcement came weeks after Trump signed a law expanding sanctions on Russia and ahead of the November 3 US congressional midterm elections.

Al Jazeera English

Trump announces deal with Putin for Russian diesel as US temporarily eases sanctions

Oct 10, 2026, 8:16 AM

Context

The deal follows years of US restrictions on Russia over its war in Ukraine. Fortune and NPR, citing the US Energy Information Administration, reported that the US has not imported Russian oil or gas since 2022, when the Biden administration banned them. Last month Trump signed a law that Al Jazeera English named as the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026. According to Fortune and NPR, that law envisions sanctions on Russian officials, banks and a shadow fleet of tankers, bans all new US investment in Russia and the handling of sovereign debt, and directs the president to impose tariffs of up to 100 percent on the top five importers of Russian oil or natural gas, with an exception for countries importing less than 15 percent of Russia's natural gas exports that have taken significant steps to reduce those imports. Al Jazeera reported the law gave Trump the power to impose such tariffs.

Fortune and NPR reported that the new general license was the first since the start of the Ukraine war to ease sanctions on diesel for longer than the standard 30-day window, and that the Treasury had issued several similar licenses regarding Russian fuel shipments since the start of the Iran war earlier this year. NPR's CT Public broadcast described the move as a six-month waiver to trade restrictions issued minutes after Trump's announcement. Al Jazeera reported that the Treasury Department said its Office of Foreign Assets Control was "immediately issuing a temporary general license." Fortune and NPR noted the department had extended similar easing in March and April even though Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had ruled out such a move earlier in the year.

On prices, Fortune and NPR reported the US national average for a gallon of diesel stood at $6.23, according to AAA, after hitting a record $6.52 on September 22. Al Jazeera English reported the current national average as $6.20 a gallon, with the same record figure of $6.52 in September. The Japan Times reported diesel prices fell after the announcement but said analysts believed the deal may not be enough to keep them down. Al Jazeera reported that the US is the world's largest diesel exporter and that its inventories have fallen sharply since the Iran war began and remain below normal levels despite increased refining output.

A Kremlin statement released on Friday, as reported by Fortune and NPR, said Putin and Trump gave "significant attention to the prospects of resolving the Ukrainian crisis" and also discussed the situation around Iran and bilateral relations. Putin said Russia "confirmed its readiness to supply oil and oil products to the American and global markets" and added that he was confident this would have a positive impact on the global economy; the two leaders agreed to continue contacts. CT Public reported that Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov told journalists Trump wished Putin a happy birthday — Putin turned 74 that week — and that the call lasted about an hour and a half, with neither side wanting to hang up.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticised the deal. NPR, citing a statement released by the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington, reported he called it "a weak decision, unfortunately, a weak decision by strong partners" and said, "I believe our team is simply being used as a smokescreen. And that is certainly not fair. It is certainly not how partners should treat each other." Fortune and NPR reported he said Russia would repay the deal "with further terror and perfidy," that it "plays into Russia's hands — allowing it to kill more, wage war for longer, have even less respect for America, and inflict even greater losses and damage on the world," and that "Gifts to Putin will not bring peace or any benefit to the civilized world."

Rep. Don Beyer, the senior House Democrat on the Joint Economic Committee, called Trump's announcement "infuriating," according to Fortune and NPR, saying: "This is what we warned anyone who would listen: Trump isn't the slightest bit trustworthy when it comes to Russia. Giving him expanded tariff powers in hopes he would use them to help Ukraine was a mistake. Now he's lifting sanctions on Russian fossil fuels."

Several analysts and industry experts were reported as sceptical of the deal's effect. Al Jazeera English reported that analysts told it the agreement would likely have little effect on easing the global energy crisis, and that European countries could refuse to buy from Russia altogether. Hamad Hussain, a climate and commodities economist at Capital Economics, told Al Jazeera that the impact of a G7 release of 100 million barrels of emergency diesel and crude reserves "would be short-lived given that this is just a temporary solution to the supply crunch." CT Public's correspondent reported that industry experts consider the short-term Russian contribution to global diesel needs too small to produce the immediate impact Trump promised at the pump. Al Jazeera reported the broader fuel crunch stems from the US-Israel war on Iran and Russia's war on Ukraine, with the Strait of Hormuz largely closed since February and attacks on Saudi Arabia's East-West Pipeline and shipping near the Red Sea compounding disruptions.

Fortune and NPR reported the White House did not immediately respond to questions about who is paying for the diesel from Russia or when the fuel would become available, and did not clarify whether the supplies due next month would arrive before Election Day on November 3. NPR reported that Trump announced the deal while his envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner were meeting with Ukrainian officials to discuss a proposal to end the Russia-Ukraine war. CT Public reported Trump has pressured Ukraine to unilaterally halt its attacks on Russian energy facilities to help lower gasoline prices, and that Zelenskyy has so far refused without a reciprocal move by Moscow; Al Jazeera reported Trump accused Zelenskyy of causing a diesel shortage through Ukraine's strikes on Russia's oil industry.

Al Jazeera English reported that Trump is particularly concerned about lowering diesel prices ahead of the midterm elections, citing Pew Research Center polling that the economy is the most important issue for 84 percent of registered voters, and noting that states such as Iowa and Kansas are seen as battlegrounds in the November 3 elections. CT Public reported Trump said farmers, ranchers and truckers were his greatest priority, describing them as groups unhappy about rising diesel prices whose turnout Republicans need.

Fortune and NPR reported that Trump's call with Putin had been expected to discuss a suspected case of plague in Russia. Separately, Arab News reported that the World Health Organization said on Saturday it still did not know what caused the pneumonia that killed a Russian laboratory worker at an anti-plague research centre in Siberia this month, and that no case of plague had been registered. Arab News reported the WHO said Russian authorities reported negative tests for high-threat pathogens in the worker and her contacts, that her contacts still showed no symptoms and that no further linked cases of severe pneumonia had been identified; the WHO stated that a key uncertainty remained the absence of a confirmed diagnosis in the deceased laboratory worker. According to Arab News, the worker fell ill and died in undisclosed circumstances on October 2, prompting authorities to quarantine about 200 people, and Russia said it had completed health checks on all her contacts.

All Perspectives

Trump / US administration: Trump described his discussion with Putin as "highly successful" and said Russia would immediately supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel, with further volumes to follow. He said lower prices for Americans, "especially our Great Farmers, Ranchers, and Truckers," were his "Greatest Priority," and claimed the move would bring diesel prices down "in record numbers and fast" (CT Public). He thanked Putin and told reporters outside the White House: "To be honest, we have massive amounts of oil coming into our country, and it's diesel which is what we want" (Al Jazeera). Fortune and NPR reported that in his announcement he did not address the sanctions or Russia's war.

Vladimir Putin / Kremlin: In a statement released by the Kremlin, Putin said he and Trump gave "significant attention to the prospects of resolving the Ukrainian crisis" and discussed Iran and bilateral relations, and that Russia "confirmed its readiness to supply oil and oil products to the American and global markets." He said he was confident this would have "a positive impact on the entire global economy," and that the two leaders agreed to continue contacts. Al Jazeera reported Putin confirmed Russia's willingness to supply oil and petroleum products to the US market and global markets at large.

Yuri Ushakov, Kremlin adviser: According to CT Public, Ushakov described the atmosphere of the leaders' call to journalists, saying Trump wished Putin a happy birthday — Putin turned 74 that week — that the call lasted about an hour and a half, and that neither side wanted to put down the phone. He said he hoped Trump would not mind him quoting the US president's remark that he was ready to talk more that day, that night or any day after.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine: Zelenskyy called the deal "a weak decision, unfortunately, a weak decision by strong partners," and said of the negotiations: "I believe our team is simply being used as a smokescreen. And that is certainly not fair. It is certainly not how partners should treat each other." He said Russia would repay it "with further terror and perfidy," that it "plays into Russia's hands — allowing it to kill more, wage war for longer, have even less respect for America, and inflict even greater losses and damage on the world," and that "Gifts to Putin will not bring peace or any benefit to the civilized world." CT Public reported Zelenskyy said the decision prolongs the war by replenishing Russia's war chest and gives it more money to inflict suffering on Ukrainians.

Rep. Don Beyer, senior House Democrat on the Joint Economic Committee: Beyer called Trump's announcement "infuriating" and said: "This is what we warned anyone who would listen: Trump isn't the slightest bit trustworthy when it comes to Russia. Giving him expanded tariff powers in hopes he would use them to help Ukraine was a mistake. Now he's lifting sanctions on Russian fossil fuels."

Energy analysts and industry experts: Analysts told Al Jazeera the deal will likely have little effect on easing the global energy crisis and that European countries could refuse to buy from Russia altogether. Hamad Hussain of Capital Economics told Al Jazeera the impact of the G7 release of 100 million barrels of emergency reserves "would be short-lived given that this is just a temporary solution to the supply crunch." CT Public reported industry experts saying the Russian contribution to global diesel needs is not that large in the short term and is unlikely to have the immediate effect on pump prices that Trump promised, and that the main cause of high prices has been Iran's blockage of the Strait of Hormuz, even if Ukraine's strikes are a factor. The Japan Times reported analysts saying the deal may not be enough to keep prices down.

World Health Organization: According to Arab News, the WHO said it had not identified evidence of ongoing transmission associated with the death of the Russian laboratory worker, stating: "A key uncertainty remains the absence of a confirmed diagnosis in the deceased laboratory worker." The WHO said Russian authorities reported negative tests for the high-threat pathogens tested in the worker and her contacts, that her contacts still showed no symptoms, and that no further linked cases of severe pneumonia had been identified. It said no case of plague had been registered in connection with the death.

Where sources differ

Al Jazeera English reports the current US national average diesel price as $6.20 a gallon, while Fortune and NPR report $6.23 a gallon. All three cite the same record high of $6.52 on September 22 (Al Jazeera specifies September).
Al Jazeera English describes the initial shipment as "more than 300,000 tonnes"; Fortune, NPR, CT Public and The Japan Times use "tons," with The Japan Times specifying metric tons, equal to about 2.25 million barrels. The sources do not resolve whether the unit is metric or short tons.
Al Jazeera English reports that Trump said the deal, together with what he described as US "total control" of the Strait of Hormuz, would bring down diesel prices; other sources describing Trump's announcement do not mention the Strait of Hormuz in that context.
Al Jazeera English says the US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control was issuing a temporary general license; Fortune and NPR describe the same measure as a general license under which sanctions would not apply until April 2027, and CT Public describes it as a six-month waiver. The sources give no single agreed duration figure.

Gaps & Unknowns

Who is paying for the Russian diesel, when the fuel will become available, and whether the shipments scheduled for November will arrive before Election Day — Fortune and NPR report the White House did not immediately respond to these questions.
Whether the deal changes or suspends the sanctions and tariff provisions of the law Trump signed last month; none of the sources states how the general license interacts with that law.
Whether Russia has lifted, or will lift, its own ban on diesel exports, which CT Public and Fortune/NPR report has been in place since July.
Independent confirmation of the volumes of diesel stated by Trump, and of the condition of Russian refineries cited by him.
Any response from the Russian government beyond Putin's and Ushakov's statements, and any comment from US refiners, shippers or diesel buyers.
The actual effect of the agreement on retail diesel prices; the sources report only immediate market reaction and analyst expectations.
What caused the Russian laboratory worker's pneumonia; Arab News reports the WHO says no confirmed diagnosis exists, and no source establishes the link, if any, between that case and the Trump-Putin call.
Whether European countries will buy the Russian diesel, which Al Jazeera reports as a possibility raised by analysts rather than a stated government position.
Whether any written agreement underlies the announced deal; the sources describe only social media posts and statements.

Sources & Further Reading

Arab News — original — by Reuters
Al Jazeera English — by Christine Maguire
CT Public — by Ruth Sherlock, Charles Maynes, Scott Simon
Fortune — by Michelle L. Price, Collin Binkley, The Associated Press
NBC News — by NBC News
The Japan Times — by The Japan Times
NPR News — by The Associated Press

Read the original at Arab News

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