US President Donald Trump has said Russia will supply millions of tonnes of diesel fuel to the United States and global markets following discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin, as high fuel prices put pressure on consumers and businesses.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said Russia had agreed to deliver more than 300,000 tonnes immediately, followed by another 500,000 tonnes in November and 1 million tonnes thereafter. He later said an additional 3 million tonnes would arrive within a short period.
Kirill Dmitriev, an envoy for Putin, welcomed the reported arrangement, saying cooperation between Russia and the United States on diesel and energy would benefit the world.
The announcement comes amid disruptions to global fuel supplies linked to the wars involving Iran and Ukraine. Ukrainian strikes have damaged Russia’s oil refining capacity, with Ukraine’s defence ministry claiming that more than half of the country’s refining capacity had been taken offline.
Last week, G7 countries agreed to release 100 million barrels of oil and fuel in an effort to ease supply pressures.
Diesel prices remain a concern in the United States ahead of the November 3 congressional elections. The fuel is essential for trucking, agriculture and home heating, while rising costs can feed into broader inflation.
According to the American Automobile Association, the average US diesel price stood at $6.27 per gallon, equivalent to about $1.66 per litre. The price was down 10 cents from a week earlier but remained sharply higher than a month before, according to the figures cited in the report.
The reported Russian supply arrangement follows other US efforts to increase fuel availability, including urging allies to release emergency reserves and expanding access to tax exempt red dyed diesel normally used for agricultural equipment.
However, details of the proposed deliveries, including their timing and implementation, were not provided in the announcement.
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