President Donald Trump is publicly thanking Russian President Vladimir Putin. After a deal with the Russian leader, Trump says the United States will start bringing in large amounts of Russian diesel, a sharp turn in American policy meant to bring down fuel costs ahead of next month’s elections.
Speaking to reporters at the White House on Oct. 9, Trump called the agreement “a big deal” and said he was grateful to Putin. He said huge volumes of oil are headed to the country, and that diesel is exactly what America needs. Prices, he added, are already falling fast.
How much fuel is coming
Trump laid out the amounts. Russia will send 300,000 tons of diesel to the U.S. and global markets right away, he said, with another 1 million tons in November. After that, Russia would deliver 3 million tons in a short time. Trump hinted that this last batch depends on the state of Russian refineries.
In a Truth Social post the same day, he described a “highly successful discussion” with Putin. He said lower prices for farmers, ranchers and truckers are his top priority.
Sanctions pause
The Treasury Department said it is temporarily lifting sanctions on Russian diesel through April 7, 2027. That is according to a notice posted by the administration.
A reversal with political stakes
USA Today reports that the announcement came less than a month before the Nov. 3 midterm elections. High fuel prices tied to the war in Iran have become a serious problem for Trump and Republicans as they fight to keep control of Congress.
The deal also cuts against years of American effort to shut Russian energy out of world markets, a push that began after Putin invaded Ukraine in 2022.
Moscow confirms
The Kremlin backed up Trump’s account. In a statement, it said Russia is ready to supply oil and petroleum products to U.S. and global buyers. Still, the full terms of the arrangement were not immediately clear.
The Kremlin’s summary of the phone call also included a comment from Putin. He told Trump he was confident the deal would help the global economy overall.
