US is going to be running on blood diesel

[phyllo]

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he had just “concluded a highly successful discussion” with Russian President Vladimir Putin, in which Putin agreed to supply hundreds of thousands of tons of diesel fuel “to the American and Global Marketplace.” Russia would “immediately supply” the fuel “based on the condition of their Diesel Refineries,” Trump added.

“Between our TOTAL CONTROL of the Strait of Hormuz, and this great announcement on Russian Energy, Diesel Prices for Americans and, indeed, the World, will be COMING DOWN, IN RECORD NUMBERS, AND FAST!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Immediately after Trump’s post, the Treasury Department issued a general license allowing for the “sale, delivery, offloading, or importation, including importation into the United States” of Russian diesel through April 2027.

https://www.politico.com/news/2026/10/0 ... a-01114977

Anything to lower prices before the election. Right?

[FlashDangerpants]

Russia doesn't have enough diesel to bring in the harvest this year, they aren't exporting any. All Trump gets for this is that Russia will lift the legal ban it has in place on diesel exports and just quietly forbid foreign sales instead.

Nobody here is fooled. So the oil market isn't going to be fooled either, and prices aren't going to change. I doubt even Walker is stupid enough for this little propaganda event.

[phyllo]

Russia already has fuel shortages.

But they are desperate to get back into the global market. This is their opportunity.

[FlashDangerpants]

It's great for Putin's internal politics. Now when people grumble about long queues for fuel in Russia, he can say that at least it's not America, where there is no fuel at all. But no, Putin can't ship diesel, he has a special 10 day military operation to support, his distribution network is on fire, he export terminals are drone targets, and the refineries keep blowing up for some reason too.

If Trump wants to get cheap fuel again, he should end his own 2 week military excursion.

[Janoah]

Bloody ones are rather those who demand war with Russia to the last Ukrainian, while Trump is trying with all his might to achieve an end to the carnage in Ukraine, despite the West, at whose instigation this carnage continues.

[FlashDangerpants]

Well the good news for our little genocidal friend there is that Russia is importing refined diesel from Iran. So if they re-export any to America, that's where they are getting it from.

Enjoy.

[RickLewis]

It's all about the spectacle. This way, Trump hopes he can temporarily drive down diesel prices before the midterms by importing the stuff from Iran while simultaneously appearing to blockade Iran.

[Gary Childress]

It's all about the spectacle. This way, Trump hopes he can temporarily drive down diesel prices before the midterms by importing the stuff from Iran while simultaneously appearing to blockade Iran.

The first thing all our politicians do when they get elected is to think of ways to get re-elected or their friends elected (for some, even if those ways are unethical or immoral). Trump seems to lean toward the unethical and immoral, whereas others may lean toward ethical, moral ways to get re-elected or their friends elected. That's the difference we're seeing (from what I can ascertain).

[Janoah]

It's all about the spectacle. This way, Trump hopes he can temporarily drive down diesel prices before the midterms by importing the stuff from Iran while simultaneously appearing to blockade Iran.

Trump, however, did not ease the blockade on Iranian diesel exports.

[Gary Childress]

It's all about the spectacle. This way, Trump hopes he can temporarily drive down diesel prices before the midterms by importing the stuff from Iran while simultaneously appearing to blockade Iran.

Trump, however, did not ease the blockade on Iranian diesel exports.

How is Trump blockading Iranian diesel exports to Russia at all? Iran's diesel exports will surely increase to Russia, and since it is a land route, how is Trump going to blockade a land route? Will the exports help Iran or hurt Iran? Or, more precisely, will they help us more than they will help Iran or hurt us less than they will hurt Iran?

[RickLewis]

I just Googled this and found a recent article arguing that, in fact, Iran has no way of exporting oil in bulk to Russia, due to logistical difficulties. It says that in principle it could be shipped across the Caspian Sea in tankers, but suitable tankers probably aren't available. If so, the oil Russia releases onto the market will be purely Russian oil.

https://maritime-executive.com/editoria ... -shipments

[phyllo]

There is a good chance that Russia won't release any diesel or only a trickle.

It will then put the blame for it on Ukraine, demand that the US and other countries end support for Ukraine and that sanctions against Russia be further eased or dropped.

Makes Russia look like the good guy and Ukraine like the bad guy.

Putin knows how to play these games.

[Gary Childress]

There is a good chance that Russia won't release any diesel or only a trickle.

It will then put the blame for it on Ukraine, demand that the US and other countries end support for Ukraine and that sanctions against Russia be further eased or dropped.

Makes Russia look like the good guy and Ukraine like the bad guy.

Putin knows how to play these games.

Well if the Russians don't release diesel, then they shouldn't get any of our money for it. So it shouldn't financially help Russia not to give us the diesel; however, maybe you are right, and Putin is banking on using it to somehow make the US look like the bad guy. Putin has created an entire narrative of the US being the world mafia and Russia et al. being the "resistance". Of course, it hasn't helped that we probably make ourselves look very much like the world mafia, given our foreign relations and diplomacy record under Bush and Trump. Biden and Obama might be a little less responsible, as they didn't start any wars for us (that I'm aware of). But, to their detriment, they continued what Bush started.

[Janoah]

In any case, purchasing diesel from Russia does not mean easing the existing blockade of Iran.
I would say, on the contrary, sanctions and the West’s proxy war against Russia are forcing it to interact with Iran, Turkey, even against its desire to do so.
And Türkiye, last time, reached Vienna, where it was stopped with difficulty.
And from the North, Russia stopped her.
Now, however, the situation has changed somewhat, Turkey does not need to seize anything; Europe itself is surrendering to the Islamists.

By peace can achieve much more from Russia than hostility, but the new crusaders want to remember the old days and fight with Byzantium-Russia once again.
I think that Trump is also interested not only, and not so much, in diesel fuel, but in good relations with Russia, in view of the confrontation with those who he will really have to confront, especially since Europe has already gone off the rails.

[Gary Childress]

In any case, purchasing diesel from Russia does not mean easing the existing blockade of Iran.
I would say, on the contrary, sanctions and the West’s proxy war against Russia are forcing it to interact with Iran, Turkey, even against its desire to do so.
And Türkiye, last time, reached Vienna, where it was stopped with difficulty.
And from the North, Russia stopped her.
Now, however, the situation has changed somewhat, Turkey does not need to seize anything; Europe itself is surrendering to the Islamists.

By peace can achieve much more from Russia than hostility, but the new crusaders want to remember the old days and fight with Byzantium-Russia once again.
I think that Trump is also interested not only, and not so much, in diesel fuel, but in good relations with Russia, in view of the confrontation with those who he will really have to confront, especially since Europe has already gone off the rails.

If Russia somehow got itself to the point where it made a military pact with Canada, would the US be justified in invading Canada, and if the Canadians resisted our invasion, would we be justified in destroying their cities in armed conflict?

Or are dealings between nations exempt from any moral or ethical constraints? To the winner go the spoils, and the losers get to weep over it, tough luck?