On October 9th, U.S. President Donald Trump posted on social media stating that Russia had agreed to supply diesel to the United States and global markets “immediately”. Subsequently, the U.S. Treasury Department issued a license allowing the import of Russian diesel, which is valid until April 7, 2027.
On that day, Russian President Putin issued a statement on the Kremlin website, stating that Russia is willing to supply oil and petroleum products to the United States and the global market. However, he did not specify the exact quantities.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak confirmed Trump's statement in an interview with TASS. He said, "As one of the major suppliers to the global diesel market, Russia will immediately begin to lift restrictions on diesel exports in advance."
Novak said, “Russia plans to supply the US market and all of our partners with 300,000 tons of diesel as early as October. The export volume of diesel will increase to about 500,000 tons in November, and to 1 million tons in December.” He added that in the longer term, Russia’s exports of diesel are expected to further increase to nearly 3 million tons per month.
U.S.-Russia related agreements have been criticized by Ukrainian President Zelensky and sparked backlash in the United States.
Western market analysts are cautious about whether the above agreement will reduce oil prices. They believe that Trump's move is more of a political consideration and will not change global or U.S. oil prices.
Russian experts believe that the US diesel permit is beneficial for Russia and paves the way for dialogue regarding the lifting and freezing of sanctions.
The US-based ‘Politico News Network’ pointed out that Trump has reached an agreement with Russia regarding diesel supplies. This occurs less than a month after he signed the ‘Lindsey Graham Act of 2026’, which grants the president the authority to impose tariffs of up to 100% on goods from Russia’s top five oil and gas importers. The news that Trump will effectively ignore this act and may directly purchase fuel from Russia has caused concern among Democrats.
On August 22, 2025, Trump displayed a photo of himself with Putin at the White House. Associated Press
U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren and Jennet Shahin strongly condemned the actions in a joint statement, calling them "a complete betrayal of Ukraine, our European allies, and American national security."
They say that after launching a war against Iran and driving up the prices of gasoline and diesel for all Americans, Trump tried to clean up his mess by reaching a desperate deal with Putin. That’s what failure looks like.
US Republican Representative Donald Trump claimed that "Trump's deference to Putin was embarrassing."
"This action sends a signal of its own and has caused significant damage to broader sanctions systems, as Richard Nifford, Chief Deputy Coordinator of US State Department's Sanctions Policy, pointed out."
Who would seriously take the sanctions system seriously? He questioned, if the United States claims that it needs to ease sanctions to solve economic problems, then "how can we convincingly argue to others why we shouldn't use the same excuses?"
The information announced by Trump on the 9th has sparked anger in Ukraine. Ukraine has long advocated for more severe sanctions against Russian energy exports, stating that revenue from oil and natural gas is a major source of funding for Russia's military machinery.
According to a statement released by the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington, Zelenskyy said that allowing Russia to export diesel is a 'weak decision made by a strong partner'.
When Trump announced this news, a senior Ukrainian delegation arrived in Miami to meet with Trump's envoy Vitalkov and son-in-law Kushner, discussing a proposal aimed at ending the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Zelenskyy clearly stated that the timing chosen by Trump is particularly painful for Kiev. "I believe that our team has been treated as a smoke screen. This is clearly unfair, and it is certainly not how partners should interact with each other."
He still said on social platforms, "Gifts sent to Putin will not bring peace."
According to the BBC, a British government spokesman stated on October 9 that the UK's position is 'as clear as day', and that the UK will continue to work with international partners to support Ukraine and promote lasting peace.
We will continue to exert pressure on Russia through the most severe sanctions system in British history, increasing Putin's costs and supporting efforts to ensure just, lasting peace.
According to reports by foreign media such as CNN and the British newspaper The Independent, Trump wrote on social media on October 9 that the US and Russia have agreed that Russia will immediately supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel to the US and global markets. Additionally, 500,000 tons will be supplied in November, followed by another 1 million tons immediately afterwards. Furthermore, based on the condition of Russian refineries, Russia will also supply 3 million tons of diesel in the near future.
Later that day, Trump said to reporters at the White House: “Oil prices are falling like stones.”
"We are discussing a potential increase in supply of 5% to 6% from now until the end of the year," said Dan Pecklin, Chief Investment Officer of US Piklin Energy Partners Co., Ltd.
Simultaneously, Piklin also pointed out that "this is helpful though insufficient to significantly impact the global diesel market."
