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It was late one Friday afternoon in October when Donald Trump unveiled what he thought would be a bold new plan to rescue America from the fuel crisis.
“I have just concluded a highly successful discussion with President Vladimir Putin, of Russia, wherein it was agreed that Russia will immediately supply over 300,000 Tons of Diesel Fuel to the American and Global Marketplace,” he wrote on Truth Social.
The controversial diesel accord with Russia blindsided Washington’s allies in Europe and threatened to undermine years of layered sanctions on the economy fuelling Moscow’s war machine.
But for president Trump, the priority had shifted to taming energy prices at home ahead of the November midterm elections. Strikes on energy infrastructure in Russia and Ukraine were contributing to shortages, which pushed prices up - but so too was his war on Iran.
A gallon of diesel that cost $6.19 on October 5 still cost $6.29 a month later, on November 2; the midterms were a rout for Trump’s humiliated Republican party; and an emboldened Russia is still vying to force through its maximum demands in Ukraine peace talks, according to the EU.
