Trump says US to get diesel from Russia in stunning bid to ease prices

President Donald Trump said that he has struck a deal to obtain diesel from Russia, a stunning reversal of years of US pressure on Moscow over its war with Ukraine and an attempt to address high fuel prices ahead of the US midterm elections.

Trump said on social media on Friday that he struck the deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin in a phone call in which he was expected to discuss a suspected case of plague in Russia.

Instead, Trump announced that Russia will immediately supply more than 300,000 tons (272,155 tonnes) of diesel, followed by 500,000 tons more in November and 1 million tons “immediately thereafter”.

Russia will deliver another 3 million tons “within a short period of time” after that, he said.

Trump’s shocking announcement comes after he signed a sweeping Russia sanctions law last month that aimed at clamping down on Russia’s energy economy, among other areas, that fuel its war against Ukraine.

The law sanctions Russian officials, banks and a shadow fleet of tankers and bans all new US investment in Russia and the handling of sovereign debt

It also directed Trump to impose tariffs of up to 100 per cent on the top five importers of Russian oil or natural gas, with an exception for countries that import less than 15 per cent of Russia’s natural gas exports and have taken significant steps to reduce those imports.