The U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) posted Russia-related General License No. 135 on Friday, 9 October 2026. It is titled “Authorizing Transactions Related to the Sale, Delivery, Offloading, and Importation of Diesel Fuel of Russian Federation Origin” and is signed by OFAC Director Bradley T. Smith.

A general licence is a temporary permission slip. The sanctions rules stay in place; this one category of trade is allowed until 7 April 2027.
Citizen impact: Diesel moves freight, farm equipment and heating. In the past week Washington has issued a 5 October order to defer federal diesel excise and allow dyed diesel on highways, and joined a G7 emergency stock release. This licence works on supply instead, by allowing Russian-origin diesel to be bought, shipped and landed in the U.S. Who gains: importers, refiners’ customers and, if prices respond, truckers and farmers. Who loses, in critics’ view: the sanctions pressure on Russia’s oil revenue. The licence itself sets no volume, price or buyer.

What the licence says

  • Scope: Paragraph (a) authorizes “all transactions” prohibited by the Russian Harmful Foreign Activities Sanctions Regulations (31 CFR part 587) or the Ukraine-/Russia-Related Sanctions Regulations (31 CFR part 589) that are related to the sale, delivery, offloading or importation of diesel fuel of Russian Federation origin, “including importation into the United States.”
  • End date: 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time, 7 April 2027, about six months.
  • Carve-out: Paragraph (b) does not authorize any debit to an account at a U.S. financial institution of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, the National Wealth Fund or the Ministry of Finance.
  • What it is not: OFAC’s 9 October notice lists no removals from the sanctions list. The licence covers diesel only, not crude oil, gasoline or other products.

Where it fits

The licence lands four days after the 5 October executive order on diesel tax relief, which the Federal Register published on 9 October as Executive Order 14435 (91 FR 64747); see our explainer. As of Saturday morning, 10 October, the IRS newsroom had still not posted the dyed-diesel penalty announcement or the 7508A deferral decision that order calls for. Separately, G7 leaders agreed on 2 October to a 100-million-barrel oil and diesel stock release.

Update, 12 October 2026: The Kremlin has now put Russia’s side on record. A “Statement by President of Russia Vladimir Putin” posted on kremlin.ru late on 9 October (22:50 Moscow time) says that in the call with President Trump “the Russian side confirmed its willingness to supply oil and petroleum products to the US market and global markets at large.” It gives no volumes, schedule, buyer or price. The figures in circulation, more than 300,000 tonnes at once, then 500,000 in November and 1 million after that, come only from the President’s own posts. On 11 October the President also announced an “energy ceasefire” between Russia and Ukraine. As of the morning of 12 October, the Kremlin’s English news page carried no statement confirming it. Neither development changes the licence, and OFAC had posted no amendment or FAQ.
Update, 13 October 2026: Seven senators, four Republicans (Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Thom Tillis, John Curtis) and three Democrats (Jeanne Shaheen, Richard Blumenthal, Ron Wyden), said in a statement issued on 11 October through the Senate Foreign Relations Committee minority that allowing Russian diesel imports “runs directly counter” to the 2022 ban and that the administration “failed to consult with Congress or submit any explanation to justify its decision as required by statute.” They called on it to “immediately reverse course.” The law they cite, the Ending Importation of Russian Oil Act (Public Law 117-109), bans imports of Russian products in tariff chapter 27, which covers fuels. It lets the President end that ban only by certifying to Congress that Russia has agreed to withdraw its forces and stop hostilities on terms Ukraine accepts, poses no immediate threat to NATO members, and recognizes Ukrainians’ right to choose their government, after consulting four committees and reporting to them at least 45 days ahead, with a 90-day wait during which Congress can disapprove. The Act also says the ban operates consistently with implementing actions under Executive Order 14066. Whether a Treasury licence can authorize what the statute bans is a legal question we do not settle here; OFAC has published no explanation, and as of the morning of 13 October its recent-actions page showed no amendment, FAQ or revocation of General License 135.

What this piece refuses

Do not write that the U.S. “lifted sanctions on Russia”: the regulations and designations remain, and this is a time-limited licence for one fuel. Do not write that Russia has agreed to specific diesel volumes or that the U.S. government is buying it. The Kremlin says only that Russia is willing to supply oil and petroleum products to U.S. and global markets; the volumes are the President’s figures, and the licence says nothing about a deal, a buyer or volumes. Do not predict a pump-price effect; OFAC gives none.

Contested: Supporters say any extra diesel supply helps households and farms during a price spike. Critics say it eases pressure on Moscow’s energy revenue while Russia’s war in Ukraine continues. Both points are about effects the licence does not quantify.

Bottom line

Verified as of 10 October 2026: OFAC General License 135 allows Russian-origin diesel to be sold, shipped, offloaded and imported into the U.S. until 7 April 2027, with Russia’s central bank, wealth fund and finance ministry accounts still blocked. Watch for any OFAC FAQ, an amendment or extension, and the overdue Treasury/IRS action on dyed diesel.