Trump says Russia to supply diesel to US and global market
President Donald Trump announced an agreement with Russia to import diesel to the U.S. to help lower fuel prices before the midterm elections. Critics and analysts have questioned the effectiveness of the deal, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy condemned the move as a gift to Vladimir Putin.
Why it matters
The deal highlights the tension between domestic economic policy and international sanctions against Russia during the ongoing war in Ukraine.
President Donald Trump said on Friday that Russia had agreed to immediately supply diesel to US and global markets in an effort to lower fuel prices ahead of the US midterm elections, although analysts said the amounts would likely not reduce prices greatly.
The move comes as the price of diesel, used in agriculture, heating homes and trucking, is near a record high. The November 3 congressional elections will determine control of Congress.
Trump said on social media he had a "highly successful" discussion with President Vladimir Putin in which they agreed that Russia will immediately supply more than 300,000 metric tons of diesel to US and global markets.
An envoy for Putin, Kirill Dmitriev, praised cooperation between Russia and the United States on diesel and energy in a post on X shortly after the call.
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