US President Donald Trump announced on Friday that he had struck a diesel-supply deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a stunning reversal of years of US pressure on Moscow, and hours later a reported Ukrainian drone attack set a fuel-loading terminal in Russia's Rostov region ablaze. Trump said on social media that Russia would immediately supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel, followed by 500,000 tons in November and 1 million tons "immediately thereafter," with another 3 million tons to follow "within a short period of time."
What is the Trump-Putin diesel deal?
The deal was announced Friday after a phone call with Putin in which Trump had been expected to discuss a suspected case of plague in Russia. TBS News reported that the US Treasury Department issued a licence allowing imports of Russian diesel until April 7.
The announcement marked a sharp contrast with a sweeping Russia sanctions law Trump signed last month that aimed to clamp down on the oil and gas revenues funding Russia's war in Ukraine, and it cast doubt on whether the White House will impose new sanctions on Russia this month under the law Congress passed. The AP described it as an attempt to address high fuel prices ahead of the US midterm elections; AAA reported average retail diesel at $6.28 a gallon on Thursday, up about 70 percent from a year ago.
How did Ukraine respond?
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the deal. In a lengthy online post, he said Russia would repay it "with further terror and perfidy," calling it an investment that would let Russia kill more, wage war longer, and show less respect for the United States. He separately called it "a weak decision, unfortunately, a weak decision by strong partners," and said his negotiating team was being "used as a smoke screen."
The deal was announced while Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were meeting Ukrainian officials in Miami to discuss a proposal to end the war.
What happened at the Rostov fuel terminal?
Overnight on October 9–10, a large fire broke out at an oil-loading terminal in Rostov-on-Don amid a reported drone attack, the Kyiv Independent reported. An OSINT analyst with the independent Russian outlet ASTRA identified the burning facility as the Yug Rusi oil-loading terminal in the city's Zheleznodorozhny district, based on footage from local residents. The terminal handles petroleum products for export, including shipments from the Novoshakhtinsk refinery.
Russian regional authorities acknowledged the fire and said air defenses were operating, but did not confirm damage to the terminal, and Ukraine's military had not claimed responsibility, according to the Kyiv Independent, which said it could not independently verify the footage or the extent of the damage. Al Jazeera English reported the regional governor said more than 50 drones were intercepted, with no injuries.
The strike followed repeated Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries and fuel infrastructure in recent months. Trump has urged Ukraine to halt those strikes, arguing they contribute to rising global diesel prices; Zelenskyy has said Ukraine is prepared to stop targeting Russian energy facilities if Moscow halts its own attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure — insisting any pause be reciprocal.
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The War Info Hub financial snapshot reports market moves as cited by financial news outlets; it is not financial advice. The Rostov terminal's damage is unconfirmed and Ukraine has not claimed responsibility for the reported drone attack.
