The Trump administration’s plan to allow Russian diesel imports into the United States is meeting resistance from both parties in Congress. U.S. drivers and truckers, meanwhile, are paying record autumn prices at the pump. On Monday, Oct. 12, 2026, AAA put the national average for diesel at $6.26 a gallon and regular gasoline at $4.35. A bipartisan group of six senators is demanding that the White House “immediately reverse course.”
Here is what happened, who is affected, the arguments on each side, and what comes next.
What Happened
- Friday, Oct. 9: The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued a general license authorizing the sale, delivery, offloading and importation of Russian-origin diesel fuel through April 7, 2027, according to reporting on the indexed OFAC document. The license does not lift the broader Russia sanctions program.
- Also Friday, Oct. 9: After a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, President Donald Trump announced on social media that Russia would immediately supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel to the U.S. and global markets. He said 500,000 tons would follow in November, then 1 million tons, then another 3 million tons “within a short period of time,” the Associated Press reported.
- Sunday, Oct. 11: Six senators released a joint statement opposing the plan. The same day, Trump announced what he called an “energy ceasefire” between Russia and Ukraine. Moscow did not confirm it, and The National reported that Russian strikes hit Ukrainian power plants within hours.
Who Is Affected: Fuel Prices by the Numbers
Diesel moves the U.S. economy. It fuels freight trucks, farm equipment, construction machinery, and much of the rail network, so its price shows up in the cost of food and goods. AAA data released Monday (via CNY Central) and earlier AAA figures reported by Fox Business show the following:
| Measure (AAA national average) | Price per gallon |
|---|---|
| Diesel, Oct. 12, 2026 | $6.26 (down 6 cents from a week earlier) |
| Regular gasoline, Oct. 12, 2026 | $4.35 (down 1 cent from a week earlier) |
| Diesel, Sept. 4, 2026 (then a record) | $5.85 |
| Diesel, a year before that (Sept. 2025) | $3.71 |
| Previous diesel record (June 2022) | $5.82 |
AAA says this is the first year the national gasoline average has topped $4 in October. Global supply has been disrupted by the U.S.-led conflict with Iran. Russia’s own diesel exports have collapsed after Ukrainian drone strikes on its refineries. According to Kpler data cited by The National, they fell from about 706,000 barrels a day in January to almost nothing in September.
The Debate Over Russian Diesel Imports
Senators opposed
The joint statement was signed by Republican Sens. Susan Collins (Maine), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Thom Tillis (North Carolina) and John Curtis (Utah), and Democratic Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (New Hampshire) and Richard Blumenthal (Connecticut). It said the U.S. “should not provide Putin with a financial lifeline while Russia continues to kill Ukrainian civilians.” The senators also said the administration had not consulted Congress or explained its decision as the law requires. In their view, the move runs counter to Congress’s position that the U.S. should not import Russian oil until Russia ends its aggression against Ukraine. Congress banned Russian energy imports in 2022.
On NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Tillis said there is a legitimate case that the president would not be following the law if the purchases go ahead.
Supporters and the administration’s case
The administration’s stated goal is to bring down high fuel prices. On CBS’s “Face the Nation,” Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) said “the president is balancing and has to make tough decisions.” He called the arrangement another point of leverage against Putin, while urging enforcement of a Russia sanctions law Congress passed last month, the AP reported. The AP also reported that Trump has recently blamed record U.S. diesel prices on Ukraine rather than on the Iran conflict.
Expert analysis: how much relief?
- Richard Nephew of Columbia University noted that the total announced volume appears to be less than what the U.S. consumes in a single day, ABC News/AP reported.
- S&P Global Commodity Insights analysts told The National that additional Russian cargoes would cover only about 10% of the global diesel export shortfall.
- UBS’s Giovanni Staunovo said the 300,000 tonnes planned for the rest of October equals roughly 100,000 barrels a day.
What Happens Next
- Congress: Watch whether the senators turn their statement into legislation or oversight demands, and whether more lawmakers join them.
- Russian supply: Volumes depend on Moscow. Russia extended a producer diesel-export ban through the end of October. In early October, Putin said Russia would not supply diesel to global markets until sanctions are lifted, according to reporting on the OFAC license.
- The “energy ceasefire”: Ukraine says it supports a ceasefire but is awaiting details. A similar announcement in September did not produce a lasting halt to strikes on energy facilities.
- Prices: AAA updates its national averages daily. The September CPI report on Wednesday, Oct. 14, will show how fuel costs fed through to inflation. See our Week Ahead (Oct. 12–18, 2026).
More U.S. News from Vanderbilt Report: Week in Review (Oct. 5–9, 2026) · Supreme Court’s New Term Opens With Boulder Climate Case. For background on the Gulf supply shock, see What Is the Strait of Hormuz?
Sources
- PBS NewsHour/AP: Bipartisan group of senators calls on Trump to “reverse course” on Russian diesel plan
- ABC News/AP: Six senators call for administration to reverse course
- CNY Central: Pump prices remain at record highs for autumn (AAA data)
- Fox Business: AAA national average price for diesel reaches new record high
- The National: Why Trump’s Russia-Ukraine energy ceasefire may offer oil markets little relief
- ROIC News: US issues general license for Russian-origin diesel transactions through April 2027
Developing story: details of the OFAC license, the volume of any Russian deliveries, and the status of the Russia–Ukraine energy ceasefire were still emerging as of Oct. 12, 2026.
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