'Not for us, but for the world': Trump defends Russia diesel deal, restrictions against India remain

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said that the fuel from Russia's refineries was meant to stabilise the global market, which has been roiled by high prices due to the ongoing West Asia conflict. Last week, Trump said in a Truth Social post that Russia would supply over 300,000 tons of diesel, followed by additional 500,000 tons in November and 1 million tons "immediately thereafter".

In a bid to facilitate the shipments, the US Treasury Department issued a temporary licence easing sanctions on Russian diesel shipments to global markets till April 7, 2027.

What did Trump say on the Russia diesel deal?

While speaking to reporters, the US President said, “That's a diesel deal. Not for us. That's being released into the world. That's not being released to us." Trump's defense came amid growing opposition of the deal which was announced after talks with Putin.

He added, "That's a diesel deal that's going to be released into the world for the world market, because the world market suffered with high prices. And when you knock out diesel refineries, that’s not a great thing. But they are not releasing it to us. They are releasing it to the entire world."

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Republicans, Democrats oppose deal

Trump is facing opposition from Republicans and Democrats alike over the deal, which was announced three weeks after the US Congress authorised him to impose sanctions on Russia and slapped tariffs on key trading partners, including India and China.

A bipartisan group of US Senators wrote to the POTUS, calling the Russia deal a "gift to our adversary and a betrayal of our allies". "The deal you struck with President Vladimir Putin on October 9 will not achieve just ends, nor will it benefit Americans," the senators said.

The bipartisan letter was signed by Democrats Richard Blumenthal, Chris Coons, Dick Durbin, Jack Reed, Jeanne Shaheen and Sheldon Whitehouse and Republicans Alan Armstrong, Susan Collins, John Cornyn, Mitch McConnell, Lisa Murkowski and Thom Tillis.

It added, "The deal is a gift to our adversary and a betrayal of our allies; it should be rescinded."

Senators said that they recognised the need to reduce energy costs for Americans, adding that allowing Russian diesel into world markets would offer limited to no relief to Americans. They said that the deal “only provides Putin with more fuel to finance his war machine and enables Russia to continue its brutal attacks on Ukrainian civilians."

“It will have a negligible impact on fuel prices, but the revenues the Kremlin will receive from this agreement will undoubtedly finance its desired war of attrition and advance its security cooperation with China, Iran, and North Korea,” the senators said.

US sanctions against India remain

Last month, the US Congress passed the Lindsey O Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, which Trump quickly signed into law.

“Both chambers passed the legislation with resounding, bipartisan votes, clearly demonstrating our intent and granting you the authorities to broker a just and fair peace,” the senators said.

These authorities require the president to exert economic pressure on Russia and the chief enablers of its war, especially China and India. The Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act (SRIA) allows tariffs of up to 100% on countries that continue to buy Russian oil and gas.

India has consistently said that its energy purchase decisions are driven by commercial viability and the need to protect the energy security of Indians.  Meanwhile, New Delhi is examining Trump's decision to purchase diesel from Russia even as the US threatens to impose 100% tariffs on India over Russian oil purchases, The Economic Times reported. The US administration has not yet made a final decision on granting India a waiver under the SRIA.

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Russia deal comes ahead of US midterms

The move comes ahead of the upcoming US midterm elections. Soaring inflation and high diesel prices have dragged presidential and party approval ratings lower. American truckers are having a tough time as skyrocketing diesel prices have prompted trucking companies to cut routes.

"Fuel prices is going up. The rates are not going up," a Miami-based trucker told Fox News Digital. "So, it's hurting our pockets real bad." He added that if diesel prices remain elevated, smaller operators would be the first ones to buckle.

"Some of the smaller companies, like the smaller owner-ops, would slowly fall off, and it's going to create a chain effect," the trucker said, adding that a "domino effect" could eventually force larger carriers to buckle.

Previously, Trump predicted that oil prices will fall "like a stone" amid expectations that the Iran conflict would end soon. The spike in diesel prices comes at a time when the American truckers are already faced with a lot of expenses, including diesel exhaust fluid (DEF), which helps lower harmful emissions, parking, showers, weighing and reweighing loads, repairs and towing.