WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said Friday (Oct 2) that the United States would not impose a diesel export ban, as he hailed a decision by European countries to release the fuel from their reserves.
“Well, it was never really on the table. But what Europe did was a great thing,” Trump said at the White House when asked by an AFP reporter if a US export ban was now off the table.
Trump added: “I asked for it. Europe has a lot of diesel and they’re going to be making a major world contribution — and so are we.
“And we’re not going to be doing the export ban, we’re going to be doing what we’re supposed to do.”
Trump had first said he backed a diesel export ban — which would have cut prices for US consumers but put pressure on supplies elsewhere around the world — on September 22.
He said as recently as Thursday that the United States was still considering the idea as his administration put pressure on Europe to tap its supplies.
G7 countries agreed Friday to release 100 million barrels of diesel and crude oil from their reserves over four months to ease global energy supply concerns fueled by the Iran war.
Trump’s Republican Party faces losing control of Congress in midterm elections next month amid voter anger over the conflict and its effect on energy prices.
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