President Donald Trump says the United States will buy diesel from Russia under a deal he reached in a phone call with President Vladimir Putin. It is a sharp reversal of years of American pressure on Moscow over its war in Ukraine, and it comes weeks before the midterm elections, with fuel prices high.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump gave the volumes: more than 300,000 tons immediately, another 500,000 tons in November and 1,000,000 tons after that. The Treasury Department issued a temporary license easing sanctions on Russian diesel exports.

The announcement came about a month after Trump signed a broad law of sanctions aimed at Russia's energy revenue.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the deal on Friday, October 9, calling it “a weak decision by strong partners.” A senior Ukrainian delegation had just arrived in Miami for talks with U.S. envoys, and Zelensky said his team was being used as a smokescreen. “Gifts to Putin will not bring peace,” he said, according to The Hill.

Analysts and fuel traders doubt that Russia can deliver the amounts Trump cited, CNN reported. Ukraine has stepped up its attacks on Russian oil facilities in recent months. Diesel futures fell about 4% on Friday.

Diesel hit a record $5.85 a gallon in the United States in September as the war with Iran dragged on, and the G7 countries agreed last week to release 100 million barrels of oil and diesel from reserves. Fuel prices matter in Haiti too, where almost all fuel is imported and price rises quickly reach transport and food.