Trump teases diesel "big announcement," then announces Russian diesel supply deal with Putin

Trump announced on Friday, October 9, 2026, that Russia would supply diesel to the United States and global markets, after telling a Columbus Day event at the White House that a diesel announcement was coming. In a Truth Social post, he said he had spoken with Vladimir Putin and that Russia would immediately supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel, followed by 500,000 tons in November, 1,000,000 tons after that, and 3,000,000 tons more "within a short period of time." The Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control issued a temporary general license allowing Russian diesel to be supplied to the global market, easing some energy sanctions on Russia through April 7. The move came as special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met Ukrainian negotiators in Miami. Ukraine called the deal a gift to Putin during the war, and President Zelensky argued that easing sanctions without a lasting agreement signaled weakness, pointing to a sanctions law Trump signed in September. The deal follows an October 5 executive order that temporarily allowed off-road "dyed" diesel on highways and deferred the federal excise tax through the end of the year, along with administration pressure on allies to release emergency fuel reserves. Those steps came after the US-Israeli war on Iran, which began February 28. Diesel prices are up 70% since the war began, and the national average stood at $6.28 per gallon on Friday, according to AAA.