Donald Trump announced an agreement with Vladimir Putin, according to which Russia will supply diesel to the US and world markets. The first batch should exceed 300,000 tons, followed by 500,000 tons in November and another 1 million tons “immediately after“. The US president also said that in the short term there could be an additional 3 million tons, if the state of Russian refineries allows it.
Thus the announced quantities reach about 4.8 million tons. However, this does not mean that the US will receive all the fuel. Washington and Moscow have not specified the buyers, the price, the routes or the ports through which the supplies will pass. Trump himself spoke about the American and global markets, and not about a specific delivery only to the United States.
The license is valid until April 2027.
Following the president's statement, the US Treasury Department issued General License No. 135. The document authorizes until April 7, 2027, transactions related to the sale, delivery, unloading and import of diesel of Russian origin, including on the territory of the United States.
The license does not authorize payments from accounts in American financial institutions of the Russian Central Bank, the National Welfare Fund and the Ministry of Finance. It also does not contain a fixed ceiling on quantities. This means that the document creates a legal corridor for transactions, but does not prove that all the volumes announced by Trump have already been agreed upon or will be delivered.
The legal issue remains unresolved. Congress has banned imports of Russian energy products through 2022, and U.S. lawmakers have said the president’s decision violates that ban. The dispute is whether a Treasury Department license can independently overturn an action enacted by law. There has been no publicly announced court ruling on the matter.
First cargo is for Morocco
The Kremlin has said Russian diesel is already starting to reach global markets. Shipping data cited by Reuters showed that a tanker carrying about 40,000 tons of diesel was loaded in Primorsk on Oct. 13, bound for Morocco.
It is the first publicly confirmed cargo since the deal was announced, but it is not a delivery to the United States. Reuters estimates that the initially announced 300,000 tons is less than the daily consumption of the U.S. transportation sector, which is about 2.94 million barrels per day. The additional 500,000 tonnes for November and 1 million tonnes thereafter also only cover a limited period of US consumption.
India not "dumped" from deal
There is no confirmed evidence that India has been removed from a specific deal for Russian diesel, but the "Indian Express" points to another, broader problem: Washington is sanctioning and threatening tariffs on countries that buy Russian energy, while at the same time allowing imports of Russian diesel for its own markets.
India remains one of the largest buyers of Russian oil. According to the Indian publication, Russian supplies accounted for nearly half of India's oil imports in August, and in February purchases fell by half from their peak in 2025. This data explains why New Delhi may use the US decision as an argument against pressure to limit its trade with Moscow.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described Trump's decision as “weak“ and said it worked in Russia's favor. US senators from both parties called it a retreat to Moscow. Russia, for its part, defended the deal as a step towards stabilizing global energy markets.
The next question is whether the license will lead to actual supplies to the US. This will require specific cargo documents, port data and clarity on the legal dispute. So far, the temporary easing of US sanctions rules has been confirmed, but it cannot be said that Washington has already “taken“ 5 million tons of diesel directly from Moscow.
Sources: apnews.com, investing.com, indianexpress.com