Published: 12:11 AM, 11 October 2026
Trump announces deal for Russian diesel
Ukraine's President Volodymr Zelensky has condemned Donald Trump's announcement of a deal to import Russian diesel into the US.
Zelensky called it a gift to Russian President Vladimir Putin that amounts to "an investment in a war that must be ended, not prolonged", a position quickly backed by Ukraine's European allies.
Trump said Putin had agreed to release 300,000 tonnes of diesel immediately "to the American and global marketplace" followed by 500,000 tonnes in November and another million after that, BBC reports.
It is understood the US Treasury is suspending sanctions on Russian diesel exports until 7 April as part of the deal, but other assets like those in American banks are still frozen.
Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that a further three million tonnes of Russian diesel would be delivered "within a short period", dependent on the condition of its refineries, which have been attacked by Ukraine. Putin later said Russia, which introduced a ban on diesel exports earlier this year, was willing to supply both the US and global markets with oil and petroleum products, but his statement did not specify amounts.
Zelensky said Russia would repay the diesel with "further terror".
"We count on America's fair support for our defence of life, for our defence of people in Ukraine - and on the United States having a correspondingly strong conversation with Russia. A strong one, not a weak one," he wrote.
He later pointed to deadly overnight strikes on Zaporizhzhia and Kyiv as Russia expressing "its thanks" for the agreement.
Analysts have questioned whether Russia is capable of providing that quantity of diesel and the extent to which doing so will ease prices for American consumers.
Tim Armitage, an investment strategist at Quilter Cheviot, said the numbers mentioned by Trump were "relatively small".
He said the first tranche equated to approximately 2.25 million barrels, and daily US consumption was around 3.8 million barrels, "so it won't make a material difference to pump prices in the US".
"Granted, there are then two more releases to come, but it does appear to be a slightly desperate move by President Trump to try to lower inflation ahead of the midterms."
The BBC has asked the White House what Russia will get from the US in return for the commitment.
The agreement with Russia also opens Trump up to criticism from European allies and pro-Ukraine politicians in the US that the American president is now helping to fund Moscow's war machine.
The EU's foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas said suspending sanctions "provides Moscow with more revenues to wage war", adding: "This is not the time to ease pressure on Russia, and Europe won't."
She said European foreign ministers intended to approve the biggest set of sanctions on Russia since the start of its full-scale invasion on Monday.
Meanwhile, a UK government spokesperson said its position "could not be clearer" and that it would continue working with international partners to support Ukraine and bring about sustained peace.
"We will also maintain pressure on Russia through the toughest sanctions regime ever imposed by the UK, increasing the cost of Putin's aggression and supporting efforts to secure a just and lasting peace."
Friday's announcement is the latest effort from Trump to lower fuel prices in the US ahead of the midterm elections, after months spent grappling with the political consequences of the Iran war.
That conflict, which began in February, has sent the cost of petrol and in particular diesel skyrocketing, which has soured his standing with the American public who have been stung by the higher pump prices and knock-on effects that led to across-the-board inflation.
