Turkey's energy minister announces Ankara will receive part of Russian diesel exports under US arrangement
Turkey's Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said Ankara will receive part of the Russian diesel fuel that Moscow will supply to world markets under an agreement with the United States. The arrangement, announced by Donald Trump on 9 October, has drawn sharp criticism from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, European officials, and members of both US parties.
Key points
- Turkey's Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said Turkey will receive part of the Russian diesel fuel Moscow will supply to world markets under the US arrangement
- Bayraktar called the agreement important for Turkey's energy security; Turkey depends heavily on energy imports from Russia, Iran, and Azerbaijan
- On 9 October, Donald Trump announced he had agreed with Putin on Russian diesel supplies to American and world markets; the US Treasury said OFAC would issue a temporary licence for the export
- President Volodymyr Zelensky said the Ukrainian negotiating team, which was in the US at the time, was being "used as a cover" and called Trump's statement not honest or partner-like
- US Energy Secretary Chris Wright described the permission as a "carrot" to push Russia toward ending the war; Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Russian diesel would have been sold on the market anyway
- Zelensky proposed the US negotiate Russian diesel exports jointly with Ukraine; senators from both US parties are demanding Trump cancel the deal
- Russia had restricted diesel exports in recent months due to supply problems, leaving roughly 4.8 million tonnes in accumulated stock
Why it matters
Turkey is a major buyer of Russian energy, so its participation shapes how the US–Russia diesel arrangement plays out on global markets. The US move has triggered unusually broad backlash — from Ukraine, Europe, and bipartisan US lawmakers — raising questions about Washington's negotiating approach to Russia. Officials within the Trump administration have offered conflicting public explanations of the deal's purpose, indicating internal disagreement. Russia has continued striking Ukrainian energy infrastructure even after the announced energy ceasefire, undermining the rationale of the US inducements to Moscow.
What happened
Turkey's Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar announced that Ankara will receive part of the Russian diesel fuel that Moscow will supply to world markets under an agreement with the United States, calling the arrangement important for Turkey's energy security. The deal traces back to 9 October, when Donald Trump said he had agreed with Vladimir Putin on Russian diesel supplies to American and world markets; the US Treasury subsequently announced that OFAC would issue a temporary licence for the export. The announcement was made while the Ukrainian negotiating team was in the United States, which President Volodymyr Zelensky said amounted to his team being "used as a cover." Zelensky called Trump's statement not honest or partnership-like and proposed that Washington negotiate the diesel question jointly with Ukraine rather than independently. US Energy Secretary Chris Wright described the permission as a "carrot" to push Russia toward ending the war; Secretary of State Marco Rubio offered a different justification, saying the diesel would have been sold on the market regardless. Senators from both US parties have demanded that Trump cancel the deal. Russia had restricted its own diesel exports in recent months due to domestic supply problems, leaving roughly 4.8 million tonnes in accumulated stock; Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said Russia could raise exports to 3–3.5 million tonnes per month by year's end.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian outlets frame the deal as a concession to Moscow that positions Turkey — not Ukraine — to benefit from Russian diesel. Coverage centers Zelensky's reaction, emphasizing that the Ukrainian negotiating team was in the United States when the announcement was made and that the team was being used as a front. Reporting foregrounds Russia's continued attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure after the announced energy ceasefire, presenting the deal as one-sided and untrustworthy. Zelensky's proposal that Washington negotiate the diesel question jointly with Ukraine is paired with bipartisan US congressional demands to cancel the deal, amplifying domestic US opposition to the arrangement.
Where reporting differs
Within the Trump administration, Energy Secretary Chris Wright described the diesel permission as a "carrot" to push Russia toward ending the war, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Russian diesel would have been sold on the market anyway — directly contradicting accounts of the deal's purpose. US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff told Ukrainian officials the permission was an attempt to bring Moscow back to negotiations. Axios, citing sources, reported a different framing altogether: that Trump allowed Russian diesel exports because Zelensky refused to stop strikes on Russian oil refineries. This account conflicts with both the Wright and Rubio explanations and with Zelensky's own characterization of the move as not honest or partner-like.
Background
Russia had restricted its own diesel exports in recent months due to domestic supply problems, leaving roughly 4.8 million tonnes in accumulated stock. Turkey is heavily dependent on energy imports from Russia, Iran, and Azerbaijan, and is seeking to diversify, including by buying from the United States. Ankara is planning a second floating gas platform in the Black Sea for 2028, targeting 45 million cubic metres of daily production, and is in talks with Moscow on gas purchases beyond 2026. The Guardian has assessed that attacks on energy facilities in Kyiv and Kharkiv are part of a Kremlin plan to render major Ukrainian cities uninhabitable; Russia's Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov reported to Putin that the Russian army had begun a campaign of massive strikes on Ukrainian energy targets, with the list of targets already defined.