As Vladimir Putin’s government prepares to extend restrictions preventing Russia’s diesel fuel producers from exporting their products abroad, Donald Trump has discovered the Russian president’s shoes fit rather well. Trump said on Sunday that he is "very seriously" considering a ban on American diesel exports as on-highway prices hit a record $6.529 a gallon last week. The idea has already been gathering support among Republican lawmakers; Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley has urged Trump to impose a temporary embargo, while Tennessee Representative Tim Burchett proposed new legislation that would trigger automatic export restrictions if the national average diesel price exceeds $5 a gallon.
Putin has little to celebrate at the moment. But if Washington decides to follow his lead and slap an export ban on U.S. diesel, you can bet the Russian president will crack a smile. Russia imposed its current round of restrictions on diesel exports in September 2025, but a highly successful strike campaign on key refineries by Ukraine’s drone operators helped cause countrywide fuel shortages this summer.
In July, Moscow expanded export restrictions to all diesel producers to keep as much fuel inside Russia’s borders as possible. The current ban runs through September 30, but the government has reportedly decided to extend it through the end of October, according to Russia’s Tass news service. To make matters worse, Moscow has simultaneously had to endure the ignominy of watching American energy giants vacuum up market share once occupied by Russian suppliers.
When Europe went cold on Russian oil and gas imports in the months after Putin sent his soldiers into Ukraine, Washington was ready and waiting to step in. In 2024, U.S. distillate exports—primarily diesel fuel, along with similar petroleum products such as heating oil—jumped by 182,000 barrels per day (bpd) to an average of 1.3 million as thirsty European buyers sought to replace Russian supplies. Shipments of American distillate to the Netherlands, one of Europe's biggest trading hubs, rose from just 12,000 bpd in 2021 to 103,000 bpd in 2024.
Exports to the United Kingdom went from 23,000 bpd to 81,000. American exporters continued lining their pockets at Russia’s expense this summer, even as domestic diesel prices rose amid severe disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Russia supplied 85 percent of Turkey's diesel imports in 2025, or roughly 281,000 barrels a day.
By August this year, shipping-data firm Kpler estimated Russia's share of the Turkish market had collapsed to 20 percent as Ukraine’s campaign of devastating strikes on Putin’s critical energy infrastructure gathered pace and forced Moscow to introduce even harsher export bans. No prizes for guessing who helped fill the gap. Kpler estimated Ankara’s imports of American diesel hit a record 90,000 barrels a day, as total U.S. distillate exports surged to a weekly record of nearly 2 million barrels a day in August.
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