Trump, Putin Call: Russia to Ship Diesel to US
US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a 90-minute phone call on 9 October 2026, an exchange the Kremlin described as “substantive and friendly” and which produced an unusual agreement: Russia will supply oil and petroleum products, including diesel, to the United States and global markets. The move, paired with a US decision to ease sanctions on Russian diesel trade, signals a notable thaw in energy cooperation between the two powers even as they remain divided over Ukraine.
A Call Covering Ukraine, Iran and Energy
According to Xinhua News, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov briefed reporters by telephone on the evening of 9 October, saying the call lasted an hour and a half and covered the prospects for resolving the Ukraine crisis, the situation in Iran, and bilateral relations.
On Ukraine, Putin told Trump that the goals of Russia’s “special military operation” remain unchanged, that Russian forces have seized the battlefield initiative and are advancing confidently, and that Ukrainian attempts to strike deep into Russia would fail. Putin also accused Ukraine of trying to escalate and prolong the conflict, citing large-scale drone attacks on Moscow and polling stations on the main voting day of Russia’s State Duma elections, which he said had destroyed the possibility of immediately resuming negotiations. He nonetheless stressed that Russia remains committed to a long-term, durable peace through political and diplomatic means.
On Iran, Putin argued that diplomatic options are not yet exhausted and that negotiations are both possible and necessary. According to Xinhua, he told Trump that his proposal to transfer Iran’s highly enriched uranium to Russia remains valid, and Trump welcomed Russia’s involvement in resolving the Iran issue.
Russia to Supply Oil and Diesel
In a statement published on the Russian presidential website, Putin confirmed that Russia is ready to supply oil and petroleum products to the United States and global markets, saying he believes the step will positively affect the global economy. As Xinhua News reported, the two leaders also agreed to maintain personal contact at the head-of-state level and to sustain cooperation between their presidential administrations, intelligence services and other agencies.
Russia’s Special Representative for Foreign Investment and Economic Cooperation, Kirill Dmitriev, said after the call that the two countries would continue energy and economic cooperation that would benefit global markets, a point carried by the China News Service.
The concrete figures came from Trump himself. Posting on Truth Social on the afternoon of 9 October, he said Russia would immediately supply more than 300,000 tonnes of diesel to the US and global markets, another 500,000 tonnes in November, then a further 1 million tonnes, and — depending on the condition of Russia’s refineries — an additional 3 million tonnes in the near term. He described the call as “very successful.”
“Thanks to our total control of the Strait of Hormuz, combined with this major good news on Russian energy, diesel prices in the US and around the world will fall sharply and dramatically!” Trump wrote, adding that lowering fuel prices for Americans — “especially our great farmers, ranchers and truck drivers” — is among his top priorities, and that “Iran will not have nuclear weapons.”
Speaking separately, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said Moscow would lift restrictions on diesel exports ahead of schedule: an extra 300,000 tonnes to the US and all other partners as early as October, rising to 500,000 tonnes in November and 1 million tonnes in December. He added that Russia would also guarantee fuel supply to its domestic market, as Guangming reported.
Washington Eases Diesel Sanctions
The supply arrangement moved in tandem with a US regulatory shift. As hk01 noted, the US Treasury announced it would immediately issue a temporary general license allowing Russian diesel to be supplied to global markets. Citing Reuters, the outlet reported the license authorizes transactions for the sale, delivery, discharge and import of Russian diesel until 7 April 2027.
Why It Matters
The timing is not coincidental. US retail diesel prices hit a record high in September 2026. According to AAA data cited in the coverage, the US national average diesel retail price stood at $6.2785 per gallon as of 9 October — up 70.8% year on year.
With US congressional midterm elections approaching in early November, fuel costs have become a politically sensitive issue for the Trump administration. It has recently pushed allies to accelerate the release of 100 million barrels of strategic petroleum reserves under International Energy Agency coordination, and has moved to temporarily allow dyed diesel in transportation and to delay related excise taxes to ease the burden on consumers.
The diesel deal offers the White House a visible lever to bring down pump prices, while giving Moscow a rare economic opening with Washington at a moment when its exports have been constrained by sanctions. It also reinforces a broader dynamic: the call touched on Iran’s nuclear program and a long-standing Russian proposal to take custody of Iran’s highly enriched uranium, tying energy diplomacy to non-proliferation talks. Trump’s reference to “total control” of the Strait of Hormuz further underscores how central Gulf transit routes remain to US calculations on oil prices.
What to Watch
Several questions remain open. Trump’s staged diesel volumes and Novak’s month-by-month figures are consistent in substance but framed differently, and the physical logistics of moving millions of tonnes of Russian diesel to the US — including shipping, insurance and refinery capacity — have yet to be tested. It is also unclear how far the easing of sanctions will extend beyond diesel, or whether the diplomatic channel opened by the call can translate into movement on Ukraine, where the two leaders’ positions remain far apart.
What is clear is that, after a 90-minute conversation, Washington and Moscow have found a narrow but concrete area of cooperation — and the world’s diesel markets will be watching to see whether it holds.