Donald Trump announced Russian diesel shipments to U.S. and global markets after a phone call with Vladimir Putin on October 9. The presidents also discussed Ukraine and Iran, but neither side announced an agreement to end the war in Ukraine.
Trump described the call as successful and said Russia would immediately supply more than 300,000 metric tons of diesel, followed by 500,000 tons in November and 1 million tons thereafter. Further shipments could follow, he said.
Washington has already taken a concrete step. The U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control issued General License 135, authorizing transactions involving the sale, delivery, offloading and importation of Russian diesel. The authorization concerns diesel transactions; it does not amount to a complete lifting of sanctions on Russia.
Trump said the initiative was intended to lower fuel costs for American farmers and truckers. Average U.S. diesel prices reached $6.28 a gallon, according to Reuters. Diesel futures fell almost 5% after the announcement, although analysts interviewed by the agency questioned whether the additional supplies would deliver a sustained decline.
There was no announced breakthrough on Ukraine. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said Putin linked the delay in restarting trilateral talks between Russia, the United States and Ukraine to Ukrainian attacks during Russia’s elections. According to the Kremlin’s account, Moscow will now consider when negotiations can resume. No new date was announced.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky criticized the fuel agreement, arguing that additional revenues would help Russia continue the war. The decision also drew objections in Congress, where Republican Representative Don Bacon called for stronger sanctions pressure on Moscow.
Iran was another topic. Ushakov said Putin welcomed the continuing dialogue between Washington and Tehran and that Trump welcomed Moscow’s involvement in efforts to resolve the situation. No specific agreement on Iran was announced.
The presidents agreed to maintain personal contacts and cooperation between their administrations and other agencies. Ushakov also raised the possibility of a meeting at the APEC summit in China if both leaders attend, while stressing that a specific meeting had not been arranged during the call.