EU launches diplomatic offensive to stop Trump’s diesel export ban

Por Ben Munster — POLITICO – TOP Stories

Brussels argues the 90-day ban would be bad for all sides, warning of a serious hit to energy markets.

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US-ECONOMY-TRANSPORTATION-FUEL — A customer refuels his van at a Freedom Fuel Network gas station in Boothwyn, U.S. on July 17, 2026. | Matthew Hatcher/AFP via Getty Images

September 24, 2026

1:10 pm CET

By

Ben Munster

BRUSSELS — EU officials warned Thursday that a U.S. plan to ban diesel exports for 90 days could have a significant impact on European markets and said the bloc was in talks with the Trump administration to wave it off the ban.

“The European Union views with concern the report that the U.S. plans to ban diesel exports, including to the European Union,” Olof Gill, a spokesperson for the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, told reporters in response to a question for POLITICO. “Any disruption would risk negatively impacting both sides.”

In this light, “high level contacts between the European Union and the U.S. administration are ongoing,” and the EU expects “close partners to consult each other before taking measures that affect shared markets,” he added.

Gill declined to share details on the content of the diplomatic talks but said “there are strong voices — also there — that believe any proposed ban of this nature would be a very bad idea indeed.”

The EU’s imports of U.S. diesel have increased in recent months to make up for imports lost due to the conflict in the Middle East, and the bloc currently imports more than half of its diesel from America. Prices and supply have been further affected by strikes on Russian oil refineries.

The United States is now the world’s largest exporter of diesel and has been setting new records for exports this year, according to ClearView Energy. Taking that supply out of global markets would have far-reaching effects on the European and global economy.

“Given the precarious situation that Europe currently finds itself in, any further restrictions on fuels available to the EU at this stage could quickly become very serious,” said a person in the industry who closely follows the market situation and was granted anonymity to discuss the sensitive situation openly.

The planned ban, first reported by POLITICO, would last 90 days amid growing domestic concerns over rising fuel prices. However, the move has drawn vociferous opposition from the U.S. oil sector, which has warned the ban would significantly tighten global supply. Trump’s energy secretary, Chris Wright, also opposes the ban.

Anna-Kaisa Itkonen, a Commission spokesperson, added that Brussels was “monitoring the markets and security of supply very, very closely, together with our member states.” She said the EU was a “big U.S. diesel importer” and remains a “solid and attractive market to the United States.”

While seeking to boost the share of renewables in the bloc, the EU has also touted its pledge to invest $750 billion in U.S. energy products by 2028 under the U.S.-EU trade deal. Asked whether the EU would rethink this commitment — and the broader increase in U.S. fuel imports — Itkonen said the U.S-EU energy trade was “mutually beneficial” while highlighting the EU’s longer-term commitment to weaning off fossil fuels entirely.

She added that private companies were responsible for much of the increase in imports.

“It’s no secret, of course, that the United States is a major supplier to us as regards to diesel oil as well as [liquefied natural gas]. This is clearly part of our diversification strategy since 2022,” she said. But “these are very often contracts between companies so we will not have the full breakdown of those to share here in any case.”