What happened
On 9 October 2026 the US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control issued Russia-related General License 135. It authorises all transactions prohibited under the Russian Harmful Foreign Activities and Ukraine-/Russia-Related Sanctions Regulations that relate to the sale, delivery, offloading or importation — including into the United States — of diesel fuel of Russian origin, until 00:01 eastern daylight time on 7 April 2027, and excludes any debit to US accounts of Russia's central bank, National Wealth Fund or Ministry of Finance. It followed a call between Presidents Trump and Putin the same day, after which Trump said Russia had agreed to supply 300,000 tonnes of diesel immediately, 500,000 tonnes in November and 1,000,000 tonnes after that. On 10 October the Russian government, as reported by TASS, partially lifted the producer diesel export ban, allowing 500,000 tonnes to foreign markets; Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said domestic consumers would not be affected.
THE INSTRUMENT RELAXED BEFORE IT WAS USED. Three weeks after the United States wrote a tariff authority against Russia's energy buyers into law, and before any designation under it, the executive licensed trade in one Russian energy product by a single general licence — the property the American half of the sanctions architecture is recorded for, faster to extend and as fast to relax. The licence also meets Russia's own valve: the diesel export ban was Moscow's response to the refinery campaign, and the first act opening it followed a foreign licence rather than a domestic surplus anyone has shown. What this establishes is the instruments and their dates. It establishes nothing about volumes, about revenue, or about whether the opening outlasts the licence; Russia's partial lifting is known through its state news agency and the act itself was not read, and the tonnages are the US president's statement.
Confidence: High
See this event in the timeline Interactive: select this record and follow what connects to it.