Russia extends diesel export ban until October

The high price of diesel is already causing the US President's displeasure. And the situation remains tense. After all, Russia, the world's second largest diesel exporter, is suffering massively from Ukrainian attacks. The Kremlin is once again resorting to an old remedy.

Russia is exacerbating the tense situation on the global energy market by extending its diesel export ban. The government in Moscow announced that the export ban for fuel manufacturers will now apply until the end of October. The measure is likely to further increase pressure on the global energy market, which is already burdened by ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and supply bottlenecks.

With the repeated export restrictions on gasoline and diesel, the Russian government wants to curb rising fuel prices in its own country and combat shortages. These were triggered by Ukrainian drone attacks on oil refineries. At the end of August, Moscow extended the diesel export ban until the end of September. However, deliveries to countries such as former Soviet republics and Mongolia under trade agreements are excluded.

Russia is normally the second largest diesel exporter in the world after the United States. The leadership in Moscow had already reduced exports in the summer before the ban was imposed because Ukrainian drone attacks on oil facilities limited production capacities and there were supply bottlenecks at gas stations in Russia.

Fuel prices have risen sharply worldwide as a result of the war against Iran launched by the USA and Israel. In the US, diesel prices reached record highs of more than $6.50 per gallon, which is seen as a political risk for US President Donald Trump in the upcoming midterm elections. Record prices for diesel were also reported in Germany and Great Britain due to the Iran war.

US President Donald Trump recently wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform that Russia had lost control of its diesel oil industry during the war. A large part of the refineries were blown up and were at least temporarily out of operation. “This ridiculous and endless war with Ukraine must end,” he continued. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky agreed to this demand.

However, Trump had previously called on Zelensky to stop attacks on Russian refineries and blamed him for a global diesel shortage. The war between the USA and Iran is having a particular impact on the global oil market.