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Ongoing25 earlier updates48 days

This story has run 26 times over 48 days, starting Aug 26.

  1. CIA chief Ratcliffe makes rare Moscow visit
  2. CIA chief reportedly warned Moscow against a limited Russian attack on NATO
  3. CIA chief secretly met Russian intelligence officials in Moscow
  4. UpdateCIA chief told Moscow to end the Ukraine war before Russia’s military and economy worsen
  5. Russian drone hits ammunition depot near Kyiv, killing 38; four remain missing
  6. Russia's finance minister returned to the G20 in person for the first time since the Ukraine invasion
  7. Witkoff and Kushner meet Putin in Moscow Sept. 5, Zelensky in Kyiv Sept. 6, carrying a U.S. proposal to end the war
  8. UpdatePutin orders 72-hour halt to strikes on Kyiv while Witkoff and Kushner visit, after a three-hour Kremlin meeting
  9. UpdateWitkoff and Kushner hold first Kyiv talks of the war, agreeing on next steps but no terms; announcement promised in weeks
  10. UpdateWitkoff says Moscow-Kyiv trip produced 'substantive progress' on scheduling more talks, with no date set and no terms disclosed
  11. UpdateRussia resumed strikes on Kyiv after the truce, killing 7; Trump and Putin then talked for an hour
  12. UpdateTrump says Russia's president wants a Ukraine peace deal after their phone call
  13. House schedules vote next week on authorizing 100% tariffs on Russian oil buyers
  14. UpdateVladimir Putin warned that sending European troops into Ukraine means war with Russia.
  15. Trump announced a Russia-Ukraine energy truce Kyiv calls conditional
  16. UpdateThe House voted 214-211 to advance 100% tariffs on buyers of Russian oil
  17. UpdateCongress sends Trump a bill letting him impose 100% tariffs on countries that buy Russian oil
  18. UpdateTrump signs the bill authorizing 100% tariffs on buyers of Russian oil
  19. Trump and Zelensky agree to New York talks, expected Sept. 22
  20. UpdateZelensky asks Trump for a mutual halt on energy and port strikes
  21. Zelensky (President, Ukraine) urges countries to limit trade with Russia to cut war funding
  22. UpdatePutin added a sale of Lukoil's foreign oil assets to US-Russia Ukraine talks; the buyers include Witkoff and Kushner business partners
  23. UpdateTreasury lifts U.S. sanctions on Russian diesel until April 7, 2027, after Trump says Russia will send 4.8 million tons
  24. UpdateRussian glide bombs kill 20 in Zaporizhzhia a day after the U.S. suspended Russian diesel sanctions; Putin tells Trump talks won't resume soon
  25. UpdateFour Republican senators join Democrats in demanding Trump reverse his Russian diesel deal, saying he skipped steps the law requires
  26. UpdateTrump defends letting Russian diesel into the U.S. as analysts say the 300,000-ton first shipment is too small to lower prices — this issue
WASHINGTON EXAMINERUpdate

Trump defends letting Russian diesel into the U.S. as analysts say the 300,000-ton first shipment is too small to lower prices

Russia diesel deal
Political Guyentist · October 13, 20264 min read

WASHINGTON EXAMINER

U.S. diesel averaged $6.27 a gallon on Monday, Oct. 12, per AAA, against $3.67 a year earlier.

Donald Trump on Monday, Oct. 12, defended his deal letting Russian diesel be sold into U.S. and world markets, posting that the "European Union paid Russia 250 Billion Dollars for Energy." He gave no period; ABC News says CREA estimates of EU spending on Russian fossil fuels since the 2022 invasion roughly match.

The promise. Trump said Russia would supply 300,000 tons immediately and 500,000 tons in November, then 1 million and later 3 million tons, depending on refinery conditions. ([TS]No diesel cargo is verified yet. The tanker billed as first, Minerva Zen, carried fertilizer, per its operator.) Alexander Novak (Deputy Prime Minister, Russia) told Tass that exports could eventually reach 3 million tonnes a month.

The math. Andy Lipow of Lipow Oil Associates put the first release at about 75,000 barrels a day. Global diesel demand runs about 28 million barrels a day. "I don't think that 75,000 barrels a day is enough to make a difference," Lipow said.

The pushback. Don Bacon (Rep-R Nebraska) wrote on X: "Propping up Putin's war economy is morally wrong as he uses that money to bomb cities." A senior administration official told Axios that Trump is "laser-focused on bringing down costs, whether it's diesel with the Russians or importing Argentine beef."

Catch upwhat happened before · 25 earlier issues
  • Sept. 13–15 — Putin warned European troops in Ukraine would mean war; Trump then announced a Russia-Ukraine energy truce that Kyiv called conditional.
  • Sept. 16–19 — Congress passed, 214-211 in the House, and Trump signed a law allowing tariffs on countries buying Russian oil.
  • Sept. 21–24 — Trump pressed Ukraine to stop hitting Russian refineries over diesel prices; Zelensky sought a mutual halt on energy strikes.
  • Oct. 4 — Putin added a sale of Lukoil's foreign assets, with buyers tied to Witkoff and Kushner partners, to the talks.
  • Oct. 10 — Treasury lifted sanctions on Russian diesel through April 7, 2027, with no volume cap or ceasefire condition.
  • Oct. 11 — Russian glide bombs killed 20 in Zaporizhzhia; Putin told Trump talks would not resume soon.
  • Oct. 12 — Four Republican senators joined Democrats demanding a reversal, saying Trump skipped steps the 2022 import-ban law requires.
24 earlier issues
Where high diesel prices already reach people's billsFedEx Ground's fuel surcharge is 28.75% for Oct. 12–18; it was 25% for July 13–19.3 details
  • FedEx Ground's fuel surcharge is 28.75% for Oct. 12–18; it was 25% for July 13–19.
  • About 3% of U.S. households heat with oil, mostly in the Northeast; EIA forecasts their winter fuel spending 21% above last winter.
  • A July Joint Economic Committee minority analysis estimated $1.4 billion in extra planting-season diesel costs for corn, soybeans, wheat, cotton and rice.

A stacked bar of the House vote: 214 yes and 211 no, 425 votes cast, so 50 percent of those voting said yes.

Chart

The House voted 214–211

3-vote margin, out of 425 votes cast.

The House voted 214–211A stacked bar of the House vote: 214 yes and 211 no, 425 votes cast, so 50 percent of those voting said yes. A reference line at 218 is labelled "218 for a majority of the full 435-seat House".
YesNo
The numbers
The House voted 214–211
VotesYesNo
House roll call214 votes211 votes
Source: House roll call, reported by Washington ExaminerPOLI
Chart · pipeline render▲ collapsed plot

Diesel is above its 2022 peak

Diesel is above its 2022 peakLine chart of the U.S. average retail price of No. 2 diesel, in nominal dollars per gallon, from EIA weekly data, Nov. 29, 2021 to Oct. 5, 2026. Each point is the last weekly reading of a month, plus the peak week of June 20, 2022. Short spikes inside a month are not shown. The price peaked at $5.81 on June 20, 2022, and a dashed reference line marks that level. It then eased to about $3.50 to $3.80 from mid-2024 through February 2026, with a plotted low of $3.49 on May 26, 2025. It jumped to $5.40 by March 30, 2026, and reached $6.38 by Sept. 28, 2026, above the 2022 peak (EIA's weekly high was $6.53 on Sept. 21). The latest reading, Oct. 5, 2026, is $6.20. The y-axis starts at $3 and is marked with an axis break.Diesel is above its 2022 peakWeekly U.S. retail diesel, $ per gallon$3$4$5$620222023202420252026axis break2022 peak $5.81$6.38Sept. 28, 2026Line joins month-end weekly readingsSource: U.S. Energy Information Admin.
Source: Trump doubles down on Russian diesel deal as analysts say it won't move pricesPOLI

What we’re less sure of6 of 8 claims

Red take

Treasury was right to let Russian diesel in: at $6.27 a gallon, up from $3.67 a year ago per AAA, diesel is a toll on every truck, harvest and grocery run. Trump says supply climbs from 300,000 tons now to 3 million later, so one first cargo is the wrong yardstick. Trump says Europe has paid Moscow $250 billion for energy, a figure ABC News says roughly matches independent estimates of EU spending on Russian fossil fuels since the 2022 invasion; American truckers should not pay more to keep a purity Europe never kept.

Blue take

Treasury gave Putin sanctions relief and asked for no ceasefire in return: it cleared Russian diesel through April 7, 2027, and the next day Russian glide bombs killed 20 in Zaporizhzhia. The payoff is thin. Andy Lipow of Lipow Oil Associates puts the first release at about 75,000 barrels a day against global diesel demand near 28 million. Relief with no terms tells Moscow it can keep bombing and keep selling.