The Trump Russian diesel deal was announced on Friday, October 9, in a Truth Social post that followed a phone call between President Trump and Vladimir Putin. That same afternoon the Treasury Department’s sanctions office issued General License 135, which allows Russian-origin diesel to be sold, delivered and imported into the United States until April 7, 2027.
Where it stands: By midday on Tuesday, October 13, American diesel futures had climbed 5%, according to NBC News, and AAA’s daily survey put the national average for diesel at $6.2787 a gallon. A day earlier Trump said he had “made the right choice for the American People.” We found no report that any Russian diesel has been loaded for, or delivered to, an American port under the license.
Two very different things were released on October 9. One was a set of promises, made by Trump alone, about how much fuel Russia would supply. The other was a legal document from the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). This explainer separates them, lays out the days since, and marks what is confirmed and what rests on the president’s word.
What Trump announced after the Putin call
Trump posted the news on Friday afternoon after what he called a “highly successful discussion” with Putin, according to CNBC. The Associated Press reported that the call had been expected to cover something else entirely: a suspected plague case in Russia.
The post laid out four stages of deliveries. Every figure in the table below comes from Trump’s post as quoted by CNBC and Ship & Bunker; no U.S. or Russian document we could find repeats them.
| Stage | Amount Trump posted | Timing he gave |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | More than 300,000 tons | Immediately |
| 2 | 500,000 tons | November |
| 3 | 1 million tons | Immediately after that |
| 4 | 3 million tons | Depends on Russia’s refineries |
Ship & Bunker added the stages together and wrote that Putin had agreed to release “up to 4.8 million tonnes,” per Trump. That total is the trade publication’s arithmetic, not a number Trump himself wrote.
Trump also predicted fast relief at the pump: “Between our TOTAL CONTROL of the Strait of Hormuz, and this great announcement on Russian Energy, Diesel Prices for Americans and, indeed, the World, will be COMING DOWN, IN RECORD NUMBERS, AND FAST!” The AP noted that his post did not mention sanctions or the war in Ukraine. Instead he wrote that lower prices for farmers, ranchers and truckers were his greatest priority. Speaking to reporters before a trip to Syracuse, he added: “We need oil for the world, and this is diesel, which is what we need, so we’re very happy to get it.”
What Treasury actually issued: General License 135
Treasury announced the license on X: “Today, at President Trump’s direction, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is immediately issuing a temporary general license to allow the supply of Russian diesel to the global market.” Ship & Bunker identified it as General License 135.
NBC News quoted the operative wording of the document posted on Treasury’s website, which authorizes “the sale, delivery, offloading, or importation, including importation into the United States, of diesel fuel of Russian Federation origin” through 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time on April 7, 2027. CNBC described that window as about six months.
A general license is a blanket permission: anyone whose deal fits its terms may proceed without applying for an individual license. The AP described this as the latest of several Treasury licenses on Russian fuel this year, and the first easing on diesel since the start of the Ukraine war to last beyond what it called the standard 30-day window.
One detail is reported inconsistently. The AP wrote that the license covers Russian diesel “loaded onto tankers as of Friday.” The license wording NBC quoted contains no loading date, and nothing in it limits volumes or ties the permission to the tonnages in Trump’s post. We treat the loading-date description as the AP’s summary rather than the license’s text.
What Moscow said, and what it can supply
The Kremlin’s version was vaguer than Trump’s. Putin said Russia “confirmed its readiness to supply oil and oil products to the American and global markets,” and predicted a “positive impact on the entire global economy.” NBC noted that he gave no start date and no volume.
Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak told the state agency Tass that Russia would begin lifting its own diesel export limits early and could ship to the U.S. in October, while keeping the home market fully supplied. Those limits exist for a reason. Russia has barred diesel exports since July 8 after Ukrainian drones hit its refineries, Ship & Bunker reported, and the ban had been extended through the end of October. The AP cited the International Energy Agency as saying Russian diesel output had dropped by about 30%. Whether Russia can spare the volumes Trump listed is examined in our analysis of the deal’s likely effect on U.S. fuel prices.
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The Trump Russian diesel deal, day by day
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| Fri, Oct 9 | Trump-Putin call; Truth Social post with tonnages; Treasury posts on X and issues General License 135; Kremlin and Novak statements; diesel futures fall 4% (NBC) |
| Weekend, Oct 10-11 | Trump tells reporters it is time for Ukraine to get a new president (TIME) |
| Sun, Oct 11 | A bipartisan group of senators urges the administration to reverse course; Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent tells Fox that critics in Congress are wrong |
| Mon, Oct 12 | Trump: “I made the right choice” |
| Tue, Oct 13 | Diesel futures up 5% by midday (NBC); AAA national diesel average $6.2787 |
The futures drop on the first day did not hold. NBC reported on October 9 that futures had fallen 4% but remained more than 110% higher since January. By Tuesday energy analyst Tom Kloza told NBC the market was “clearly not believing that Russian oil is on the way.”
The political backlash grew over the weekend. The AP counted six senators, four Republicans and two Democrats, on a Sunday statement urging the administration to “immediately reverse course.” Reuters listed seven, adding Oregon Democrat Ron Wyden. Their objections, and the Republicans who signed, are covered in our report on the senators opposing the deal.
The legal fight in one paragraph
Critics in both parties say the license runs against the Ending Importation of Russian Oil Act, signed in April 2022, which bars every Russian product under chapter 27 of the U.S. tariff schedule from entering the country. Bessent rejects that. “Anyone in Congress who says whether it’s an old bill or the current Lindsey Graham bill (that) prohibits us from doing it is wrong,” he said on Fox, by Reuters’ account. No court has weighed in. We set the two sides out in is Trump’s Russian diesel deal legal? and explain the statute itself in the 2022 Russian oil import ban explained.
Confirmed vs. only claimed
| Point | Status |
|---|---|
| Treasury issued a license for Russian diesel | Confirmed: Treasury post on X; document wording quoted by NBC |
| License end date of April 7, 2027 | Confirmed in the document wording |
| Imports into the U.S. are covered | Confirmed in the document wording |
| The four tonnage stages | Trump’s claim only; no document states them |
| Russia agreed to supply fuel | Putin confirmed readiness to supply, with no figures |
| Prices will fall fast and by record amounts | Trump’s prediction; futures rose by Oct 13 |
| Who pays, and when fuel arrives | Unanswered by the White House |
The last row matters for voters. According to the AP, the White House gave no immediate answer on who would foot the bill for the fuel or when it would be available, and did not say whether November’s shipment would arrive before the November 3 election. For a claim-by-claim check of Trump’s statements, see our fact check of the Russian diesel deal.
The United States has not imported Russian oil or gas since 2022, according to the Energy Information Administration as cited by the AP. If a cargo does arrive under General License 135, it would be the first since that ban took effect.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Trump Russian diesel deal?
On Friday, October 9, President Trump said that after a call with Vladimir Putin, Russia would supply diesel to the American and global market in four stages. The same day, Treasury issued General License 135, which lets traders sell, ship and bring in diesel made in Russia until April 7, 2027.
What does General License 135 allow?
According to the document wording quoted by NBC News, it authorizes the sale, delivery, offloading or importation, including into the United States, of diesel of Russian origin through 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time on April 7, 2027.
How much Russian diesel did Trump say is coming?
His post listed four stages: upward of 300,000 tons right away, then 500,000 tons during November, a further 1 million tons, and finally 3 million tons once Russian refineries allow. Those figures appear only in his post; the Kremlin gave no numbers.
Has any Russian diesel reached the United States yet?
We found no report of any Russian diesel being loaded for or delivered to the United States under the license as of October 13. Russia had banned its own diesel exports since July, and Deputy Prime Minister Novak said shipments to the U.S. could start in October.
When does the Russian diesel license expire?
The authorization runs through 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time on April 7, 2027, which CNBC described as about six months.
Sources
- Trump-Putin diesel deal contradicts Russia sanctions law, critics say — CNBC, October 9, 2026
- Trump says U.S. to get diesel from Russia, relaxing pressure on Moscow to ease prices before midterms — NPR (The Associated Press), October 9, 2026
- Trump says Putin will release diesel fuel into global market — NBC News, October 9, 2026
- US Lifts Sanctions on Russian Diesel for Six Months After Trump-Putin Call — Ship & Bunker, October 9, 2026
- Bipartisan group of senators calls on Trump to ‘reverse course’ on Russian diesel plan — PBS News (Associated Press), October 11, 2026
- US Republicans, Democrats want Trump to reverse course on Russia diesel — Reuters (via The Star), October 11, 2026
- Republicans Denounce Trump’s Diesel Deal With Russia’s Putin Amid Mounting Backlash — TIME, October 12, 2026
- Diesel futures signal higher prices to come, despite Trump moves — NBC News, October 13, 2026
- AAA Fuel Prices — AAA, Price as of 10/13/26
- Public Law 117-109 — Ending Importation of Russian Oil Act — U.S. Government Publishing Office (govinfo), April 8, 2022
This article is news reporting and analysis based on the public sources listed above, as they stood on the dates shown. Where officials, lawmakers or analysts disagree, including on whether an action is lawful, their positions are attributed to them; Donald Trump Class Action is not a court and nothing here is legal advice. Facts in a developing story can change.