US President Donald Trump announced a deal on Friday for Russia to release 300,000 tonnes of diesel immediately “to the American and global marketplace,” with plans for further shipments totalling millions of tonnes in the coming months. The agreement comes despite legislation signed by Trump just weeks ago that authorised fresh US sanctions and tariffs on nations importing Russian oil and gas.
Trump said Russia would supply 500,000 tonnes in November, followed by another million tonnes, and then an additional three million tonnes within a short period, depending on the condition of Russian refineries. These facilities have been targeted by Ukraine during their ongoing war. Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak confirmed to Tass, the state-owned news agency, that exports could reach three million tonnes per month.
The announcement drew swift bipartisan criticism in Washington. Seven senators from both parties said the deal violated US laws and urged Trump to “reverse course”. The group included Republicans Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Thom Tillis and John Curtis, alongside Democrats Jeanne Shaheen, Richard Blumenthal and Ron Wyden. They said the United States should not provide “Putin with a financial lifeline while Russia continues to kill Ukrainian civilians.” The senators pointed out that Congress had “explicitly banned Russian energy imports in 2022 to prevent American dollars from financing Putin’s brutal war against Ukraine.”
On Sunday, Trump claimed an “energy ceasefire” had been reached between Russia and Ukraine but did not provide details. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the development, but Moscow had not responded.
The US Treasury is understood to be suspending sanctions on Russian diesel exports until 7 April as part of the deal, although other Russian assets in American banks remain frozen. Trump wrote on Truth Social that “Lower prices for Americans, especially our Great Farmers, Ranchers, and Truckers, is my Greatest Priority.”
Some Republican voices supported the deal. Thomas Massie, who has clashed with Trump on multiple issues, said the US should lift sanctions on all petroleum products. Trump’s Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox News that the agreement would work through existing legal channels to lower prices and said anyone in Congress opposing it was wrong.
Global fuel prices have soared since the US-Israel war with Iran began at the end of February, disrupting crude oil supplies, a main ingredient for petrol and diesel. The diesel price in the US is currently $6.28 a gallon, down slightly from a record high of $6.53 at the end of September, according to the AAA.
The diesel price spike has hit American agricultural states hard. Farmers and transporters rely heavily on diesel to operate machinery and move products to market. The US consumes about 3.6 million barrels of diesel a day. Even if Russia delivers its promised 300,000 tonnes this month, that would cover only around half of US daily consumption.
Zelensky called the deal “a gift to Putin, an investment in a war that must be ended.” International leaders have also criticised the move. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting argued that the US and other Ukraine allies should focus on increasing pressure on Russia to end the war rather than easing sanctions.
Analysts remain sceptical about Russia’s ability to supply such large quantities of diesel and question how much the deal will ease prices for American consumers.
The controversy comes as Trump and his Republican Party face midterm elections in November. Polls show many Americans disapprove of Trump’s handling of the economy and the Iran war. The diesel deal appears to be a bid to ease political pressure in key agricultural regions ahead of the vote.
According to Joy Online.
