Just three weeks ago, on 18 September 2026, Donald Trump signed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, which authorises tariffs of up to 100% on the largest buyers of Russian oil or gas, with China and India the main targets.
What changed this week
On 9 October 2026, Trump announced a deal with Putin to release Russian diesel into the global market, and the US Treasury issued a temporary general licence allowing those sales until 7 April 2027.
The contradiction means Washington moved from threatening secondary sanctions against countries buying Russian energy to authorising Russian diesel exports itself.
