Trump says Putin agrees to major release of diesel to US and global markets

President Donald Trump said that he has struck a deal to obtain diesel from Russia, a stunning reversal of years of U.S. pressure on Moscow over its war with Ukraine and an attempt to address high fuel prices ahead of the US midterm elections.

Trump said on social media on Friday that he struck the deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin in a phone call in which he was expected to discuss a suspected case of plague in Russia.

Instead, Trump announced that Russia will immediately supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel, followed by 500,000 tons more in November and 1 million tons "immediately thereafter."