Bowen rules out Russian diesel for Australia despite Trump's deal with Putin
Why it matters: Australia has no intention of touching the Russian diesel Washington just cleared for import, a clear signal to local fleets that Australia's diesel supply chain isn't changing tack over this.
Federal Energy Minister Chris Bowen has ruled out Australia taking any of the Russian diesel the Trump administration has just cleared for import to the United States, telling ABC's Weekend Breakfast that Australia "doesn't need or want Russian fuel." Bowen said Australia has arrangements with trading partners to keep Russian-origin fuel out of the country, and said "we do not want Vladimir Putin to benefit" from the war. He stopped short of criticising Washington directly, framing Australia's position as opposition to Russia being rewarded for invading Ukraine, not a swipe at the US deal itself. The comments follow President Trump's call with Vladimir Putin on 9 October, after which Treasury issued a general licence authorising Russian diesel imports into the US (see Desk 8).
Source: ABC News, 10 October 2026, corroborated by Bloomberg, AAP, SCMP and The Nightly.