The Trump administration’s aggressive pressure campaign on European nations to release diesel supplies, under threat of a U.S. export ban, has drawn furious private accusations of “blackmail” from European officials.
Diesel prices have surged to record highs following the Trump administration’s war against Iran and Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine, both of which have caused widespread damage to fuel refineries across the Middle East and Europe.
One European diplomat explicitly characterized the White House’s demands as “blackmail,” according to an official briefed on a call between EU energy officials early Friday.
“EU member states took the U.S. request as blackmail and see it as a broader security issue,” the official said, capturing the depth of frustration among European capitals.
During that emergency meeting, officials debated how to satisfy President Donald Trump’s demands without appearing to capitulate to his threats, and raised doubts about whether Trump could be trusted to abandon export ban plans even if they complied.
Berlin was among the European capitals that pushed back internally, with some officials privately arguing the Trump administration’s ultimatum was a political maneuver designed to calm a U.S. electorate angered by high energy prices ahead of midterm elections.
“So now they’re leaning on [the EU] to bail them out,” one person said. “And they’re threatening the U.S. export ban to force them into doing so. Well, that’s called blackmail.”
The White House’s pressure campaign ultimately produced results, with G7 countries announcing an agreement to release 100 million barrels of diesel and crude oil from their strategic reserves.
An EU government official told U.S. media that the Trump administration had sent a formal proposal to EU leaders on Thursday, requesting the release of 120 million barrels of diesel from national strategic reserves over 180 days.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent escalated the pressure publicly, urging Europe to “immediately” tap its reserves and posting on social media: “Our European partners should accelerate delivery on their existing commitments and make additional supplies immediately available to address ongoing disruptions.”
France reportedly countered with a proposal to release 50 million barrels, a figure well below the 100 million barrels over 15 days that Washington had demanded from European partners.
Trump spoke directly with French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday evening and then with G7 leaders Friday morning to negotiate the release of European diesel stockpiles, according to a White House official who briefed reporters on the calls.
Macron, who currently chairs the G7, led a videoconference of G7 leaders to discuss the crisis and coordinate a collective response to Washington’s demands on Friday.
Trump announced the outcome on social media without specifying which countries were releasing reserves or at what individual volumes, writing: “Europe has just agreed to release a massive amount of their heavily stocked Diesel Oil. The process will begin immediately.”
In a move that partially eased tensions, Trump later ruled out imposing a diesel export ban entirely, telling reporters directly: “We’re not going to be doing the export ban.”
