US to get diesel from Russia, Trump says, relaxing pressure on Moscow to ease prices before midterms

President Donald Trump announced on Friday that he had reached an agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin to supply diesel fuel to the United States, a notable shift from years of U.S. pressure on Moscow over its war in Ukraine. In a social‑media post, Trump said Russia would immediately deliver more than 300,000 tons of diesel, followed by 500,000 tons in November and 1 million tons “immediately thereafter,” with an additional 3 million tons to arrive “within a short period of time.” The announcement follows, by only a few weeks, Trump’s signing of a sweeping bipartisan sanctions law that targets Russia’s energy sector, its officials, banks and a shadow fleet of tankers. That legislation also directs the administration to levy tariffs of up to 100 percent on the leading importers of Russian oil and gas. The White House has not yet explained how the new diesel arrangement fits within those sanctions, who will pay for the fuel, or when the shipments will reach U.S. markets. Soon after Trump’s statement, the Treasury Department issued a temporary license permitting Russian diesel to be supplied to the global market. Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev reposted the announcement and declared, “Russia‑US cooperation on diesel and energy will benefit the world.” The United States has not imported Russian oil or gas since the Biden administration barred such imports in 2022 after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Trump presented the deal as a means to cut fuel costs for Americans, writing, “Lower prices for Americans, especially our Great Farmers, Ranchers, and Truckers, is my Greatest Priority.” On Friday the national average price for a gallon of diesel was $6.23, down from a record $6.52 on September 22, while global prices have risen amid the war in Iran. Sources: Las Vegas Sun Read the full story at Las Vegas Review-Journal →