Donald Trump says Russia has agreed to send diesel to American and global markets, starting with more than 300,000 tonnes, after a phone call with Vladimir Putin. US diesel prices are up 70 percent since the war on Iran began, and the midterm elections are less than a month away.
US President Donald Trump has said that Russia will supply diesel fuel to American and global markets, Al Jazeera reported.
He made the announcement on Friday, October 9, after a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
What Trump Announced
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said it was agreed that Russia would supply:
- more than 300,000 tons of diesel immediately
- another 500,000 tons during November
- 1,000,000 tons “immediately thereafter”
He added that Russia would deliver a further 3 million tonnes “within a short period of time”.
What Moscow Said
The Kremlin said the call lasted an hour and a half and covered large-scale economic initiatives, including fuel supplies.
“The Russian side reaffirmed its readiness to supply oil and oil products to the American and world markets,” it said.
Putin’s envoy Kirill Dmitriev wrote on X: “Russia-US cooperation on diesel and energy will benefit the world.”
Why Now
Diesel is used in farming, home heating and road haulage, and its price feeds into inflation.
- The US average is $6.27 a gallon ($1.66 a litre), according to the American Automobile Association
- That is 10 cents lower than a week earlier
- Prices are up 70 percent since the war on Iran began this year
Congressional elections on November 3 will decide control of Congress.
Trump has already tried two other measures: pressing allies to release emergency reserves, and widening access to tax-exempt diesel normally reserved for farm equipment. A week earlier, the G7 countries agreed to release 100 million barrels.
The Ukraine Dimension
The deal was criticised by US lawmakers, European allies and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who called it a “gift to Putin”.
It also comes despite Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries. Ukraine’s defence ministry claimed on Sunday that those strikes had taken more than half of Russia’s refining capacity offline.
Other Matters on the Call
According to the Kremlin, Trump welcomed Russia’s involvement in efforts to settle the war with Iran, and Putin said Russia would consider when to resume peace talks on Ukraine.
Both leaders are interested in attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in China in November, the Kremlin said.
Image: Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump in Alaska, August 2025 (file photo). US Department of Defense photo by Benjamin D Applebaum via Wikimedia Commons, public domain.
