Trump Lifts Russian Diesel Sanctions Amid Ukraine Leadership Dispute

President Donald Trump reached an agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin on October 9, 2026, to import millions of tons of Russian diesel into the U.S. and global markets. To facilitate the deal, the U.S. Treasury Department issued General License 135, waiving sanctions on Russian diesel through April 7, 2027. The administration aims to lower fuel prices for farmers and truckers ahead of the November 3 midterm elections, following price spikes caused by a U.S. war with Iran and Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries.

The move triggered a severe diplomatic crisis. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the deal as a "gift to Putin" that finances the Russian war effort. In response, Trump accused Zelenskyy of exacerbating the fuel crisis and called for him to be replaced by a leader capable of making a deal. Tensions peaked when U.S. envoys in Miami reportedly threatened to halt intelligence sharing and weapons procurement if Ukraine did not stop targeting Russian refineries.

On October 11, Trump unilaterally declared an "energy ceasefire" between Russia and Ukraine. While Zelenskyy expressed conditional support, he reported that Russian forces immediately violated the truce by bombing power plants in Kyiv and Kharkiv. Simultaneously, Russian glide bombs killed at least 20 people in Zaporizhzhia.

Domestically, a bipartisan group of U.S. senators and former Vice President Mike Pence denounced the deal as a betrayal of national security and a violation of a 2022 federal ban on Russian energy imports. European allies, including Germany and the United Kingdom, reaffirmed their commitment to sanctions, with the EU adopting its largest-ever sanctions package against Russia on October 12 to counter the U.S. policy shift.