The US opens a temporary window for Russian diesel: limits and diplomatic divisions

The US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued General License 135 on October 9, temporarily authorising transactions involving Russian-origin diesel. The measure expands the scope for trading a particular fuel without dismantling the sanctions system. Understanding it requires attention to the authorised activities, the restrictions that remain and whether commercial deliveries materialise.¹

AI-generated illustration: an empty negotiating roundtable, blank papers and fuel barrels represent diplomatic discussions and fuel supply; this is not the scene of the Miami talks.

From discussions to workable arrangements

Reuters’ source said US, Ukrainian, European and NATO representatives held six-hour talks in Miami on October 9, seeking a common proposal for Russia.²

Hromadske Radio, citing RFE/RL reporter Alex Raufoglu’s sources, reports an early finish and no second day.³

Any diplomatic arrangement to end a war must move through distinct stages: establish language that can be discussed jointly, determine what the relevant parties accept, and create mechanisms for implementation and monitoring. Progress at one stage does not automatically establish completion of the next. Especially where long-term security and economic recovery are concerned, who carries each obligation, when conditions are triggered and how violations are addressed often reveal more about feasibility than the duration of talks.

The diesel licence has explicit legal limits

OFAC authorises transactions otherwise prohibited by the Russian Harmful Foreign Activities Sanctions Regulations or the Ukraine-/Russia-Related Sanctions Regulations that relate to the sale, delivery, offloading or importation of Russian-origin diesel, explicitly including imports into the United States. The authorisation runs through 12:01 a.m. US Eastern Daylight Time on April 7, 2027. It does not allow debits to accounts held at US financial institutions by Russia’s central bank, National Wealth Fund or Ministry of Finance.¹

The measure therefore changes the legal space for a particular fuel trade. It does not mean that every Russian energy transaction is permitted, or that the sanctions system has been abolished. Authorising a transaction is separate from producing, loading and delivering the fuel. The licence alone establishes neither that promised supply volumes have materialised nor that every proposed payment arrangement complies with applicable rules.

Fuel costs and sanctions pressure pull in different directions

Mediaite reports Trump sought cheaper fuel; Zelenskyy opposed sanctions relief without de-escalation.⁴

There was also public opposition within the United States. Senators Jeanne Shaheen, Chuck Schumer and Elizabeth Warren issued a joint statement on October 9 arguing that the diesel measure undermined support for Ukraine and European allies, as well as efforts to restrict Russia’s war revenue. ⁵

The two policy goals are not automatically compatible. Expanding tradable fuel supplies may widen buyers’ options, while relaxing restrictions may also increase sellers’ revenue. The eventual price effect depends on genuinely additional supply, whether existing trade is simply rerouted, and successful transport and delivery. A presidential announcement or a licence alone does not establish that diesel prices will fall substantially.

Watch the text and the deliveries

Assessing diplomacy requires examining how the relevant parties’ commitments fit together. Assessing the diesel measure requires examining whether permitted transactions become actual supplies. Commercial arrangements do not automatically resolve long-term security questions, and continued discussion does not mean disagreements have disappeared. Legal authorisation, commercial execution and political commitments require separate tests.

Policy should not be judged solely by reactions on announcement day. More useful evidence consists of transaction and delivery records, alongside clear, executable commitments. Fuel supply and diplomacy may follow different timetables. Only the sequence of implementation and verifiable results can establish whether a temporary authorisation meets its objectives.

Source notes

1. 2026-10-09 · General License No. 135: Authorizing Transactions Related to the Sale, Delivery, Offloading, and Importation of Diesel Fuel of Russian Federation Origin · US Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control; issuance notice. ↩ ↩²

2. 2026-10-09 · US-Ukraine-European negotiators meet in Miami as Trump announces diesel deal with Russia · Reuters via MarketScreener. ↩

3. 2026-10-10 10:30 · ЗМІ: У Флориді достроково завершились переговори України, США та Європи · Hromadske Radio. ↩

4. 2026-10-09 · Zelensky Warns Trump His Diesel Deal with Putin ‘Plays into Russia’s Hands’ · Mediaite. ↩

5. 2026-10-09 · Shaheen, Schumer, Warren Slam President Trump’s Disastrous Diesel ‘Deal’ with Putin · US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Democratic side. ↩