In a surprise announcement on Friday, Donald Trump revealed he had negotiated the delivery of massive quantities of Russian diesel to American and global markets, lifting sanctions on Moscow to facilitate the deal. The declaration coincided with the resumption of talks between American and Ukrainian officials in Miami on the war with Russia, attended by national security advisers from several European countries.
The agreement immediately drew sharp condemnation from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. “This is certainly not honest, it is certainly unworthy of our partners, and in my opinion, it is a weak decision,” Zelensky said.
What Does the Agreement Entail?
Russia has been subject to sanctions on its hydrocarbon exports, designed to complicate the financing of its war against Ukraine, triggered in February 2022 by Russia’s full-scale invasion. Under the new deal, the US Treasury Department said it was granting provisional authorization for Russian diesel to be placed on the market.
“Russia will immediately supply more than 300,000 tonnes of diesel to the American and global market, 500,000 tonnes more in November and 1,000,000 tonnes immediately after. Furthermore, depending on the state of its refineries, Russia will quickly deliver 3,000,000 tonnes of diesel,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
The Kremlin subsequently confirmed the figures put forward by Trump, stating that “the Russian side has reaffirmed its willingness to supply oil and petroleum products to American and global markets.”
Why Is Trump Buying Russian Diesel?
“Diesel prices for Americans and, in reality, for the world, WILL FALL RAPIDLY BY RECORD PROPORTIONS! Lower prices for Americans and especially our great farmers, ranchers and truckers is my top priority,” Trump wrote Friday on his social network, acknowledging the primary objective of the deal.
Diesel prices have risen by more than 65% in the United States since the start of the Middle East war triggered by the American president. Trump is aware that high fuel prices are a major cause of voter discontent ahead of crucial midterm elections on November 3. He had already attempted to offer some relief to motorists by opening the purchase of “red” diesel, typically reserved for agriculture and construction.
The Republican Party fears losing control of Congress in these elections, which will largely determine the shape of the final two years of Trump’s mandate. A Democratic Congress could multiply investigations against the American president and, if the opposition wins both chambers, block his nominations.
Trump’s announcement had no major immediate impact on diesel prices, though it appeared to accentuate a moderate decline already underway in the markets during the day. According to Gregory Brew, an oil analyst at Eurasia Group, the 300,000 tonnes mentioned by the American president correspond to 74,000 barrels per day. By comparison, US domestic consumption stood at 2.94 million barrels per day in 2025, according to the US Energy Information Administration.
What Impact on the War in Ukraine?
Since Wednesday, Russian attacks have killed approximately 60 people in Ukraine, and recent Russian bombardments have also caused “considerable damage” to Ukraine’s power grid, Zelensky lamented Friday. Kyiv fears a repeat of last winter’s scenario, when Russia pounded the country’s energy infrastructure, plunging millions of homes into cold and darkness.
The American announcement has therefore been difficult to swallow. “It looks like a nice birthday gift for Putin. It’s absolutely horrible,” Zelensky told the American outlet Axios, referring to the Russian president’s 74th birthday on Wednesday. “It only fuels Putin and gives him the ability to wage an even more intense war.”
Alongside this announcement, a Ukrainian delegation was present in Miami. The discussions notably covered “short-term measures related to winter preparation (energy resilience, grain exports), security guarantees, as well as longer-term arrangements for the security of Ukraine and Europe,” said Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy, without specifying whether they would continue Saturday as initially planned.
For Zelensky, the Ukrainian team traveling to Florida “simply served as a facade” for this agreement with Moscow. Ukrainians and Europeans have repeatedly reproached Trump, who has never condemned the Russian invasion, for taking Russian demands into greater account than Ukrainian requests. In recent weeks, the 80-year-old billionaire has several times condemned Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries, but not the surge in Russian strikes against Ukraine.
