Archive · 5 Dec 2025
EU Sanctions and Attacks Drive Diesel Prices to 12-Month High
The price of diesel has gone up a lot in the last year.
This is because the European Union (EU) put new rules on Russia, making it harder for Russia to sell its oil.
Also, Ukraine has been attacking Russia's oil factories, and some other oil factories in places like Kuwait and Nigeria are not working well.
All of this means there is less diesel available, so the price has gone up.
This affects places all over the world, including the United States, where diesel is more expensive now.
The US is also selling more of its own diesel to other countries.
EU sanctions on Russia and drone attacks on Russian refineries have driven diesel crack spreads to a 12-month high.
Diesel crack spreads in New York Harbor, the US Gulf Coast, and the ARA hub rose above $1 per gallon for the first time in over a year.
The sanctions target refineries in Türkiye and India that process discounted Russian crude oil and export refined products to the EU.
Additional factors include an outage at Kuwait’s Al Zour refinery and refinery maintenance in the Middle East.
The US has seen high levels of gasoline and distillate fuel oil exports in November 2025, affecting domestic prices.
- Who
- EU, Russia, Ukraine, US EIA, Kuwait, Nigeria, US refiners
- What
- Diesel crack spreads surged to a 12-month high due to EU sanctions and attacks on Russian refineries
- When
- End of November 2025, with effects ongoing
- Where
- Global, particularly Atlantic Basin, ARA, New York Harbor, US Gulf Coast
- Why
- EU sanctions on Russia, drone attacks on Russian refineries, and refinery outages tightened diesel supply
- Cause of Price Surge
- EU sanctions on Russia and drone attacks on Russian refineries
- Affected Regions
- Global, particularly Atlantic Basin, ARA, New York Harbor, US Gulf Coast
- Price Increase
- Diesel crack spreads above $1 per gallon for the first time in over a year
- Sanctions Target
- Refineries in Türkiye and India processing Russian crude oil
- Additional Factors
- Outage at Kuwait’s Al Zour refinery and Middle East refinery maintenance
- Impact on US
- Higher global prices affecting US diesel prices
- US Exports
- High levels of gasoline and distillate fuel oil exports in November 2025