US President Donald Trump has announced an agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin for Russia to supply millions of tonnes of diesel to the United States and international markets, as rising fuel prices put pressure on his administration ahead of the US midterm elections.
Trump said Russia would make more than 300,000 tonnes of diesel available immediately, followed by another 500,000 tonnes in November and one million tonnes shortly afterwards. Depending on the condition of Russia’s diesel refineries, Moscow would also deliver a further three million tonnes within a short period, he said in a statement published on his Truth Social platform.
The US Treasury Department issued a temporary authorisation to facilitate the arrangements despite existing sanctions against Russia. Trump presented the proposed supplies as a measure intended to reduce fuel prices in the United States and across global markets.
“I have just concluded a very satisfactory meeting with President Vladimir Putin of Russia, in which it was agreed that Russia will immediately supply more than 300,000 tonnes of diesel to the US and world markets, another 500,000 tonnes during November and 1,000,000 tonnes immediately afterwards,” Trump wrote. He added that further deliveries of three million tonnes would depend on the state of Russia’s diesel refineries.
The announcement comes weeks before the US midterm elections, with Trump facing poor approval ratings and criticism over his administration’s handling of the war against Iran. The conflict and the bombing of Tehran have contributed to a sharp increase in fuel prices, making energy costs a prominent issue in the election campaign.
Diesel prices in the United States have risen by almost 70 per cent since the bombing campaign against Tehran began, according to the Spanish newspaper El País, which reported on the proposed agreement and its political context. The price of diesel reached a record high several weeks before Trump’s announcement, surpassing the previous peak recorded at the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The increase has become a source of criticism of the president, particularly among consumers and businesses exposed to higher transport and operating costs. Trump has highlighted the impact on farmers, ranchers and truck drivers, presenting lower fuel prices as a priority for his administration.
“Between our TOTAL CONTROL of the Strait of Hormuz and this great announcement on Russian energy, diesel prices for Americans and, indeed, for the entire world, WILL FALL AT A RECORD PACE AND QUICKLY!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
He described reducing costs for Americans, particularly agricultural producers and the trucking industry, as his highest priority and called the agreement a “very big and important announcement”.
The proposed deliveries would make Russian diesel available to US buyers and international markets despite the sanctions currently in place against Moscow. The temporary authorisation issued by the US Treasury Department provides for the arrangements described by Trump, although the announcement did not establish whether all the proposed volumes would ultimately be delivered on the stated timetable.
Trump’s statement linked the expected reduction in fuel prices to both the Russian supplies and his administration’s claimed control of the Strait of Hormuz. He said the combination would bring prices down rapidly, extending the expected benefits beyond the United States to the wider international market.
The announcement also places energy supplies at the centre of Trump’s response to mounting domestic criticism over fuel costs. With diesel prices having reached unprecedented levels and the midterm elections approaching, the president has presented the proposed Russian deliveries as a significant intervention aimed at easing the financial pressure on American consumers and businesses.
