President Donald Trump has announced a deal for Russia to supply diesel to the United States and global markets, an striking reversal after years of pressure on Moscow over its war in Ukraine. The president said the aim was to lower fuel prices ahead of next month’s midterm elections.
Trump said Russia would immediately supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel, followed by 500,000 tons in November and a further 1 million tons soon after, with another 3 million tons to follow within a short period. The announcement came after a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin that had been expected to focus on a suspected plague case in Russia.
The move lands just a month after the president signed a sweeping Russia sanctions law aimed at clamping down on the energy revenues funding Moscow’s war. Analysts quoted in coverage of the announcement doubted the volumes involved would greatly reduce prices, though the political signal was unmistakable.
Ukraine’s president called the decision weak and said his team felt used as a smokescreen, in a statement released through the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington. The announcement was made while the president’s envoy and his son-in-law were meeting Ukrainian officials about proposals to end the war.
The deal also casts doubt on whether the White House will impose sanctions this month, given a bipartisan law directing the administration to target top importers of Russian oil and gas. The White House did not immediately clarify who is paying for the diesel or when fuel under the agreement would reach US buyers.
For executives in trucking, farming and logistics — the groups the president name-checked as his priority — the practical question is timing. Diesel contracted for delivery after election day does little for costs this quarter, whatever its effect on the political argument.
