Trump says Russia will send millions of tons of diesel to the U.S. in sanctions reversal

President Donald Trump said Oct. 9 the United States will begin importing large volumes of diesel fuel from Russia under a deal he struck with President Vladimir Putin — a sharp break with U.S. sanctions policy toward Moscow, meant to bring fuel prices down ahead of the midterm elections, according to USA Today on Oct. 9.

Trump said in an Oct. 9 post on Truth Social that the deal came together during a "highly successful discussion" with Putin: Russia will supply 300,000 tons of diesel "immediately" and an additional 1 million tons in November, then 3 million tons "within a short period of time," depending on the condition of Russian refineries. The Treasury Department is temporarily lifting Russian oil sanctions through April 7, 2027, and the Kremlin confirmed the deal, with Putin saying he was "confident that this will have a positive impact on the global economy as a whole." The move was announced less than a month before the Nov. 3 midterm election, with the national average diesel price at $6.23 a gallon amid the U.S. war with Iran.

Energy experts were skeptical it moves the needle in time. Rebecca Babin, a senior energy trader at CIBC Private Wealth, said the deal would amount to about 400,000 barrels of Russian diesel if delivered over three months: "For the midterms, it could still be too little, too late: The smallest volumes arrive upfront, when relief is needed most." GasBuddy's Patrick De Haan predicted a short-term reduction of $0.10 to $0.20 a gallon but said hitting Trump's import goals will be "difficult to achieve," adding that "the psychological impact may reduce prices temporarily but it'll take more time to determine if Russia has such ability."

The reversal is sweeping. The Biden administration banned Russian oil imports after Putin's 2022 invasion of Ukraine; the Trump administration eased those sanctions earlier this year after energy prices skyrocketed following the start of the U.S. war against Iran — and just weeks ago Trump signed a major Russia sanctions package meant to suffocate the Russian economy. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the easing "an obvious weakness" that "plays into Russia's hands," while Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer accused Trump of "doing a deal with the devil" to blunt voter anger over fuel prices.