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President Donald Trump has eased sanctions on Russian diesel exports as part of a deal reached with Russian President Vladimir Putin, aiming to bring down rising fuel prices in the United States. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak confirmed the agreement, telling state news agency TASS that Russia would immediately begin lifting its diesel export ban in response to the Trump-Putin arrangement.
Russia first imposed the diesel export ban in July, following a series of Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy facilities earlier this year. The Kremlin had since extended the ban through the end of October. Trump’s sanctions relief now offers Russia a path to resume those exports.
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Trump Blames Ukraine for Rising Diesel Costs
Trump has repeatedly urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to stop attacking Russian oil refinery infrastructure. Speaking to reporters, Trump said, “A lot of the diesel comes from Russia, and the Russia plants are being hit by Ukraine.” He added, “I’ve asked President Zelenskyy not to hit the diesel plants. That’s what’s driving it up.” Trump stated plainly that Ukraine “has got to stop.”
On September 14, Trump claimed that both Zelenskyy and Putin had agreed to halt strikes on energy infrastructure. However, Zelenskyy denied making any such commitment. He told CBS News he would only stop targeting Russian oil and gas facilities if Russia agreed to the same terms. Meanwhile, Russia has continued and even intensified its strikes on Ukrainian cities and critical infrastructure throughout the summer and fall.
Just hours before Trump made his announcement on Friday, Zelenskyy met with a delegation of U.S. senators at the presidential palace in Kyiv. “We can only protect ourselves from this terror by working together,” Zelenskyy said on social media. He also called on the United States to “fully cut off the financial flows sustaining Russia’s war machine.”
Zelenskyy Calls the Move a Sign of Weakness
Zelenskyy sharply criticized Trump’s decision to ease the diesel sanctions. He described the move as “an obvious weakness.” He warned that it “plays into Russia’s hands — allowing it to kill more, wage war for longer, have even less respect for America, and inflict even greater losses and damage on the world.”
This is not Trump’s first attempt to use sanctions relief to ease energy prices. Earlier this spring, the U.S. Treasury Department issued a series of 30-day sanctions waivers covering Russian oil already at sea. However, those waivers expired and had little measurable effect. Oil and gas prices continued rising for months afterward.
Limited Market Impact So Far
Markets showed a modest reaction to Friday’s announcement. Diesel futures fell 4% on the day. Despite that drop, diesel prices remain more than 110% higher than at the start of this year. The impact on crude oil was even smaller. Brent crude traded at around $104 per barrel on Friday, down just 0.3% on the day.
Trump’s announcement also arrived at a sensitive diplomatic moment. Ukrainian negotiators departed for the United States on Friday for a new round of peace talks aimed at ending the war with Russia. Special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner had been expected to lead those discussions. However, it remained unclear late Friday whether the talks would proceed as planned following the latest sanctions decision.
