Treasury Lets Russian Diesel Into the U.S. After Trump-Putin Deal

General License 135 lets Russian-origin diesel into the U.S. until next spring, while Russia's central bank accounts at U.S. banks stay off-limits.

President Donald Trump said Friday that Vladimir Putin will supply Russian diesel to the U.S. and world markets, CNBC reported. The same day, the Treasury Department signed the permission slip.

Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control issued General License 135, dated Oct. 9. It lets buyers sell, ship, unload and import diesel of Russian origin, including into the United States, until April 7, 2027. NBC News reported that Trump eased the sanctions to get the deal.

It comes in the middle of a diesel price spike, with the midterm elections weeks away. On Friday, "trump putin diesel" was the No. 1 search in California.

The license doesn't name a company, a tanker or a cargo. It covers every diesel deal that two sets of rules had barred: the Russian Harmful Foreign Activities Sanctions Regulations and the Ukraine-/Russia-Related Sanctions Regulations. OFAC Director Bradley T. Smith signed it.

Washington didn't move one line. The license doesn't let anyone draw on accounts that Russia's central bank, its National Wealth Fund or its Ministry of Finance hold at U.S. banks. Moscow's fuel can move, but those state accounts are still off-limits.

The window closes at 12:01 a.m. Eastern on April 7, 2027, long after the midterm ballots are counted. After that, Russian diesel is barred again unless Treasury extends the license.

Source: CNBC, retrieved October 9, 2026. Other sources: ofac.treasury.gov.