Trump-Putin Diesel Deal Flops: Tankers U-Turn As Legal Risks Scare Off Buyers

<![CDATA[On the evening of October 9, 2026, President Donald Trump announced that he had just concluded a “highly successful” call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The two leaders had agreed, Trump said, “that Russia would immediately release more than 300,000 metric tons, or 2.24 million barrels, of diesel onto American and global markets, with another 500,000 tons, or 3.73 million barrels, to follow in November and a further million tons shortly thereafter.” The same day, the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control issued General License 135, authorizing the “sale, delivery, offloading, and importation of diesel fuel of Russian Federation origin” through April 7, 2027. Russia, for its part, partially lifted its own diesel export ban. The stated purpose was straightforward: to ease soaring U.S. diesel prices ahead of the midterm elections. See Trump Strikes Russian Diesel Deal to Tackle Soaring Fuel Prices (Updated) – RedState and Trump Holds Off on New Russia Sanctions, Citing Ukraine Peace Talks – RedState for more.]]>