Trump Announces 4.8M Tons of Russian Diesel in Sanctions U-Turn

Update: Twelve senators tell Trump to scrap the diesel deal

Updated 23:45 UTC, Tuesday: A bipartisan group of 12 senators, six Republicans and six Democrats, wrote to President Trump on Tuesday, Oct. 13 and urged him to rescind the Russian diesel deal. The Republican signers are Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, John Cornyn of Texas, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Alan Armstrong of Oklahoma. The six Democrats are Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, Richard Durbin of Illinois, Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, Jack Reed of Rhode Island and Chris Coons of Connecticut, Reuters reported.

The letter called the deal a gift to an adversary and a betrayal of United States allies. It said the deal would give President Vladimir Putin more fuel to finance his war in Ukraine while bringing Americans limited to no relief on fuel prices. Counting John Curtis of Utah, who joined a separate statement on Oct. 11, at least seven Republican senators have now opposed the deal in public. Asked about it on Tuesday, Trump sidestepped a question about whether Russia could spend the proceeds on bombs, Reuters reported.

Update: Senators break with Trump over Russia diesel deal

WASHINGTON: Seven U.S. senators, including four Republicans, publicly criticized President Donald Trump's deal to import 4.8 million tons of Russian diesel on Monday, calling it a reversal of the 2022 congressional ban on Russian energy imports. Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, John Curtis of Utah and Thom Tillis of North Carolina joined three Democrats in a joint statement saying Congress "was clear: the U.S. should not import oil from Russia until it ends its aggression against Ukraine." The statement implied the deal may be illegal, noting the administration "failed to consult with Congress" or submit any explanation, and demanded a reversal. Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska called the deal "morally wrong," while former Vice President Mike Pence said it "makes no sense" and warned that if Russia overruns Ukraine, American troops could eventually face its military. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer accused Trump of "doing a deal with the devil."

Updated: Oct 11, 6:19 p.m. CT

Update: Trump claims immediate Russia-Ukraine energy ceasefire

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump announced Sunday that Russia and Ukraine have agreed to an energy ceasefire, effective immediately. "Effective immediately, there is an ENERGY CEASEFIRE in the War between Russia and Ukraine," he wrote on Truth Social. "Both parties have agreed. Do not break it!"

The announcement, two days after the Russian diesel deal, appeared to catch Kyiv off guard. "The cease-fire announcement was news for me," Zelensky told Axios. "But if Russians agree to an energy cease-fire Ukraine will agree. If President Trump negotiated it with Putin, please tell us when the cease-fire begins. We are ready and we will accept it."

Another Ukrainian official told CNN: "We just read it as you did." Zelensky later wrote on X that he had discussed the news with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, adding that Ukraine supports the ceasefire and awaits details from the American side.

The White House and the Kremlin offered no immediate specifics. CNN said it had reached out to both for details on how the agreement was reached and how long it would last. Ukrainian officials said Russian forces were still bombing Ukrainian energy sites on Oct 11, according to thebrief.news, which would mean the declared ceasefire had no visible effect on its first day.

The announcement followed a sharp exchange between Washington and Kyiv. Talks involving Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff opened in Miami on Friday. Zelensky called the diesel deal a weak decision, and Trump responded by saying Ukraine should get a new leader who can make a deal. Zelensky countered that he would organize Ukrainian elections, suspended under martial law, if Putin agreed to a total 60-day ceasefire. He also called for a ceasefire in an interview earlier on Sunday.

---

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump announced Friday that Russia has agreed to supply millions of tons of diesel fuel to American and global markets, reversing years of United States sanctions policy on Russian energy in a bid to bring down fuel prices less than a month before the November midterm elections.

Trump said the agreement followed what he described as a highly successful discussion with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Russia would immediately supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel fuel, followed by 500,000 tons in November, another 1 million tons right after, and then 3 million tons within a short period, depending on the state of its diesel refineries. In total, the deal covers about 4.8 million tons.

The Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control issued a temporary general license waiving select American sanctions on Russian diesel sales through April 2027.

Trump framed the deal as help for working Americans, saying on Truth Social that lower prices for the country's farmers, ranchers, and truckers were his greatest priority. Leaving the White House for an evening rally in upstate New York, he thanked Putin.

Why it matters

The decision is a sharp U-turn in American Russia policy. Washington banned imports of Russian petroleum products in 2022 after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, and just three weeks ago Trump signed a sweeping new Russia sanctions bill named after the late Senator Lindsey Graham.

The timing is unmistakably political. Diesel prices have surged since late February, when American and Israeli strikes on Iran triggered Tehran's blockage of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for energy transit. The national average diesel price stood at $6.28 a gallon on Friday, up from $3.68 a year ago, according to AAA. Rising fuel costs have hit farm states hard, feeding Republican fears of losing both chambers of Congress on November 3.

The context

Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelensky, condemned the move in unusually blunt terms. He told reporters it was unworthy of partners and, in his view, a weak decision, adding in an interview with Axios that it looked like a happy birthday present for Putin. On social media, he warned that gifts to Putin would not bring peace and that Russia would repay the arrangement with further terror and perfidy.

The Kremlin confirmed its side of the deal. Putin said Moscow had reaffirmed its readiness to supply oil and refined products to American and global markets. His office said the two leaders also devoted significant attention to the prospects of resolving the war in Ukraine.

Russia's ability to deliver is an open question. Moscow suspended diesel exports earlier this year after Ukrainian strikes damaged its refineries. Trump himself made the final 3-million-ton tranche conditional on the state of those refineries.

Market analysts were skeptical the volumes would calm prices. Strategists cited by MarketWatch noted the announced amounts equal roughly a day and a half of American diesel demand, calling the move possibly too little, too late. On Friday, West Texas Intermediate and Brent crude futures settled 0.4 percent higher while ultralow-sulfur diesel futures fell 3 percent.

What's next

The White House did not say who will pay for the diesel or when the first shipments would reach American ports, according to the Associated Press. Congress will now have to reconcile the deal with the Russia sanctions law it passed last month. The Treasury license runs through April 2027, giving the administration a window to test whether Russian supply brings real relief at the pump.

Key numbers

• 300,000+ tons: immediate Russian diesel supply announced by Trump
• 500,000 tons: promised for November; 1 million tons immediately after; 3 million more pending refinery conditions
• $6.28: national average diesel price per gallon Friday, versus $3.68 a year ago (AAA)
• April 2027: expiry of the Treasury's temporary sanctions waiver
• November 3: midterm election date