US pressures Europe to release diesel reserves ‘immediately’ to tame prices

European officials are holding crisis talks as the United States piles pressure on the region to tap into its emergency stocks of diesel to cool surging prices – or face a possible ban on US exports of the fuel.

European officials discussed measures to tackle high diesel prices on Friday, the European Commission said in a statement , while France said it would chair a meeting of G7 leaders on the “global energy situation” later in the day.

The veiled ultimatum from the US administration marks an escalation in pressure on Europe as President Donald Trump attempts to bring down US fuel prices ahead of November’s midterm elections

Diesel is the workhorse fuel for the global economy, powering trucks, tractors, freight trains and other commercial vehicles. The US is the world’s largest exporter of the fuel and US President Donald Trump has touted a ban on diesel exports as a way to boost domestic supplies – and, in turn, bring down prices.

A US diesel export ban would hit Europe – a net-importer of the fuel – hard, analysts told CNN. Last year, the US supplied around 13% of the combined 2.3 million barrels Europe, the United Kingdom and Turkey imported every day, according to data from market intelligence firm Energy Aspects.

But tapping into its emergency reserves risks leaving Europe exposed should supply disruptions from the war in the Middle East and Ukraine continue.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent urged European countries on Thursday to release diesel from its stockpiles “immediately,” writing in a post on X that “American farmers, truckers, and businesses should not be left carrying the burden of a global diesel shortage.”

US Energy Secretary Chris Wright, who has previously expressed reservations about a ban on US diesel exports, told Fox News on Thursday that the US is “absolutely” going to ask Europe to release diesel from its strategic reserves.

“This is a time for a coordinated release of diesel stores as we go into harvest season, and we go into winter heating oil season. Now is the time to bring more diesel to the market,” he said.

Brandon Bell/Getty Images

States are taking matters into their own hands to fight high gas and diesel prices

The US-Iran war – now in its eight month – has disrupted flows of crude and refined oil products from the Middle East. While Europe is not currently grappling with outright shortages, global supplies are tight and prices have soared.

US diesel prices have also shot up since the start of the war and, last month, topped $6 a gallon for the first time, according to data from AAA. The average price stood at $6.40 a gallon on Friday morning.

Anna-Kaisa Itkonen, a spokesperson for the European Commission, told reporters at a briefing on Thursday that member states were in “very close contact” on the issue of diesel supply and that it was also in contact with the US administration.

“I can assure you that lots of phone calls, lots of meetings are taking place at this point,” she said.

A US ban would see Europeans “paying an even higher premium” for (imported) diesel… because it will be competing against other regions that are net importers like Latin America,” said Richard Bronze, Energy Aspects’ co-founder.

The US may be one of several suppliers to Europe, he added, but Washington is such a critical supplier to the international market that a ban of its exports would see countries “grappling and fighting over what remains.”

Europe’s benchmark diesel prices have more than doubled since the start of the US-Iran war in late February, according to Intercontinental Exchange data.

Worsening the picture is a ban on diesel exports from Russia – which Moscow recently extended until the end of October – following Ukrainian drone strikes on its refineries. As are indications from China that it may tighten restrictions on its oil product exports, said Bronze.

EU member states are required to hold oil stocks equal to 90 days of net imports, but the Commission does not specify how those stocks should be divided between crude oil, jet fuel, kerosene and diesel.

Matt Stanley, head of market engagement at Kpler, highlighted Europe’s dilemma and the risks posed by dipping into emergency reserves in an uncertain geopolitical environment.

“If the underlying disruption continues, you cannot keep drawing inventories indefinitely without eventually creating a much bigger supply problem,” he told CNN.

In March, member countries of the International Energy Agency agreed to release 400 million barrels of oil into the global market – the largest release of emergency oil stocks in history – in response to the US-Iran war.

But the US argues that Europe has not fulfilled its side of the bargain. Bronze, at Energy Aspects, said that the European Union has released less than 8% of the 64 million barrels of oil products – including diesel – that it pledged in the spring.

Anna Chernova contributed reporting.

由于美国不断向欧洲施压，要求其动用紧急柴油储备来抑制飙升的油价，否则可能面临美国禁止出口柴油的禁令，欧洲官员正在举行危机磋商。

欧盟委员会在一份声明中表示，欧洲官员周五讨论了应对高柴油价格的措施，而法国表示将在当天晚些时候主持召开七国集团领导人关于“全球能源形势”的会议。

美国政府发出的这番隐晦的最后通牒标志着对欧洲的压力正在升级，因为唐纳德·特朗普总统试图在11月中期选举前降低美国燃油价格。

柴油是全球经济的主力燃料，为卡车、拖拉机、货运列车和其他商用车辆提供动力。美国是世界上最大的柴油出口国，美国总统唐纳德·特朗普曾大力倡导禁止柴油出口，以此来增加国内供应，进而降低价格。

分析人士告诉CNN，美国若禁止柴油出口，将对柴油净进口国欧洲造成沉重打击。市场调研公司Energy Aspects的数据显示，去年，美国供应了欧洲、英国和土耳其每日合计230万桶柴油进口量的约13%。

但是，如果中东和乌克兰战争造成的供应中断持续下去，动用紧急储备可能会使欧洲面临风险。

美国财政部长斯科特·贝森特周四敦促欧洲各国“立即”从其柴油库存中释放柴油，他在X网站上发帖称，“不应该让美国农民、卡车司机和企业承担全球柴油短缺的负担”。

美国能源部长克里斯·赖特此前曾对禁止美国柴油出口表示保留意见，他周四告诉福克斯新闻，美国“绝对”会要求欧洲从其战略储备中释放柴油。

“随着收获季节和冬季取暖油需求旺季的到来，现在正是协调释放柴油储备的时候。现在是时候向市场投放更多柴油了，”他说。

Brandon Bell/Getty Images

各州正自行采取措施应对高昂的汽油和柴油价格。

持续八个月的美伊战争扰乱了中东原油和成品油的流通。虽然欧洲目前尚未出现明显的短缺，但全球供应紧张，价格飙升。

据美国汽车协会（AAA）的数据显示，自战争开始以来，美国柴油价格也大幅上涨，上个月首次突破每加仑6美元大关。周五上午，平均价格为每加仑6.40美元。

欧盟委员会发言人安娜-凯萨·伊特科宁周四在新闻发布会上告诉记者，成员国在柴油供应问题上保持着“非常密切的联系”，并且欧盟委员会也与美国政府保持着联系。

“我可以向你保证，目前我们正在进行大量的电话沟通和会议，”她说。

Energy Aspects 的联合创始人 Richard Bronze 表示：“美国的禁令将导致欧洲人为（进口）柴油支付更高的溢价……因为它将与拉丁美洲等其他净进口地区竞争。”

他补充说，美国可能是欧洲的几个供应商之一，但华盛顿是国际市场上一个至关重要的供应商，如果禁止其出口，各国将“为了剩余的资源而争斗不休”。

根据洲际交易所的数据，自2月底美伊战争爆发以来，欧洲基准柴油价格已经翻了一番多。

雪上加霜的是，乌克兰无人机袭击俄罗斯炼油厂后，俄罗斯柴油出口遭到禁令，莫斯科方面最近将禁令延长至10月底。布朗兹表示，中国方面也有迹象表明，可能会收紧对石油产品出口的限制。

欧盟成员国必须持有相当于90天净进口量的石油库存，但欧盟委员会没有具体说明这些库存应该如何在原油、航空煤油、煤油和柴油之间分配。

Kpler 市场参与主管 Matt Stanley 强调了欧洲面临的困境，以及在不确定的地缘政治环境下动用紧急储备所带来的风险。

“如果根本性的供应中断持续下去，你就不能无限期地增加库存，否则最终会造成更大的供应问题，”他告诉 CNN。

今年 3 月，为应对美伊战争，国际能源署成员国同意向全球市场投放 4 亿桶石油——这是历史上规模最大的紧急石油储备投放。

但美国方面认为，欧洲并未履行其承诺。能源咨询公司Energy Aspects的布朗兹表示，欧盟释放的石油产品（包括柴油）不足其春季承诺的6400万桶的8%。

安娜·切尔诺娃对此报道亦有贡献。