US opens route for Russian diesel as Britain keeps its oil import ban

Washington has opened a temporary legal route for Russian diesel to be sold, delivered and imported, including into the United States. The decision followed President Donald Trump’s claim on Friday that Vladimir Putin had agreed to release millions of tonnes to American and global markets. It marks a sharp change in US pressure on Russian energy while the war in Ukraine continues.

What the licence actually does

The US Treasury’s General Licence 135, dated 9 October, authorises transactions otherwise barred by two Russia sanctions regimes that relate to the sale, delivery, offloading or importation of Russian-origin diesel. It runs until 12:01am US eastern daylight time on 7 April 2027. It does not allow debits to US bank accounts held by Russia’s central bank, National Wealth Fund or finance ministry. It authorises transactions; it does not confirm that any cargo has sailed, arrived or been paid for.

Trump’s timetable remains a claim

Trump said after speaking to Putin that Russia would supply more than 300,000 tonnes immediately, another 500,000 tonnes in November, then one million tonnes and a further three million tonnes later. AP and Reuters reported his announcement. Neither the licence nor those reports establishes a completed delivery, a buyer, a price or the route the fuel would take. The promise comes as high diesel prices put pressure on transport, farming and household costs.

The British contrast

Britain’s government says direct imports of Russian crude and refined products remain banned. It separately set 1 January 2027 as the latest end date for a temporary licence covering diesel and jet fuel refined in third countries from Russian crude. That narrower transition measure is different from Washington’s new permission for Russian-origin diesel, including US imports. The divergence raises a strategic question for London and other Ukraine supporters: whether easing US restrictions will give Moscow extra export revenue while allies try to constrain its war economy.

London responds to Washington’s agreement

In a statement published on 10 October, a Downing Street spokesperson said Britain would keep military and financial support flowing to Ukraine and “maintain pressure on Russia” through UK sanctions. The statement also acknowledged the effect of international conflicts on energy prices and said Britain was monitoring supply. It did not announce a change to the British ban on direct Russian oil-product imports, nor did it say the UK had joined the US diesel licence. The response makes London’s position explicit a day after Washington granted the temporary exemption.

What to watch

The decisive evidence will be actual cargo movements, customs records and payments, as well as any further US or Russian conditions. Until those emerge, the announced tonnages are a prospective supply plan, not fuel already available at a pump. The image above is an archive view of a Moscow refinery from June 2026; it does not identify the source of any diesel under this agreement.