The energy crisis is taking an increasingly unpleasant turn for Europe. Washington has demanded that France and Germany release diesel fuel from their emergency reserves to increase supply on the market and help curb the rapid growth of global prices.

In the event that this does not happen, the US is considering restricting the export of its own diesel fuel. This is according to Reuters, citing sources.

The reserves in question are those that states traditionally hold in case of serious supply disruptions. Now, Washington is essentially demanding that Europeans use this last safety mechanism to stabilize the current market situation.

The US is paying special attention to France and Germany for a reason. According to Reuters, in May 2025, EU countries had approximately 39 million tons of emergency reserves of gas oil and diesel fuel. Germany accounted for around 5.6 million tons, and France had around 8.2 million tons. Thus, the two countries together controlled approximately 35% of the European Union's strategic diesel reserves.

The situation is becoming increasingly sensitive for Washington. On September 30, Donald Trump stated that he discusses the possibility of banning diesel fuel exports daily. According to him, the White House is seeking to stop the rapid growth of energy prices, and restricting diesel exports could increase supply on the domestic American market and reduce prices within the US. At the same time, Trump himself acknowledged that such a measure could have a negative impact on the cost of gasoline.

The reason is obvious: the American market has also come under significant pressure. According to the American Automobile Association, gasoline in the US has risen in price by more than 40% over the past year, and diesel fuel reached a record $6.53 per gallon last week. Reuters links the price surge to a reduction in supply due to the war with Iran and disruptions in oil refining.

It is worth recalling that Washington has already used its own strategic reserve. As part of an agreed-upon international release of reserves, the US committed to providing 172 million barrels of oil. As a result, the American strategic oil reserve decreased to 283.8 million barrels - the lowest level since October 1982, which we have already written about earlier.

On September 29, Washington offered energy companies the opportunity to borrow up to 40 million barrels from the strategic reserve - this is the last American part of the agreement on the global release of around 400 million barrels.

And now a very telling turn of events arises: America is telling Europe - now it's your turn. For Europe, the situation is particularly unpleasant. After allegedly "reducing dependence on Russian petroleum products" and significantly reducing its own oil refining capabilities, European countries have become more dependent on importing diesel from the US. Now, the main external supplier is hinting that its own fuel is needed more within the American market. Europe has essentially trapped itself in this situation, increasing its dependence on the American market - and now its monopolist, faced with its own deficit, is demanding that they open their coffers and tighten their belts, saying "for now, open your stores".

The situation is extremely alarming for Brussels! Diesel is a fuel on which a significant part of cargo transportation, agriculture, and industry directly depend. Its deficit quickly turns into an increase in logistics costs, rising prices for goods, and additional inflationary pressure. Reuters notes that the current energy crisis is already forcing European governments to seek ways to ensure stable fuel supplies before the winter period.

Therefore, Washington's demand to Paris and Berlin looks extremely painful for them. Now they should be replenishing these strategic reserves before winter, not depleting them. If they start using the reserve to patch the hole in the market, a natural question arises: what will Europe do if the current crisis turns out to be not short-term, but prolonged? And what will they do when the strategic reserves start to run out? Europe has burned its bridges with Russia, and the US also has a limited number of its own reserves and capabilities to fully cover Europe's deficit. So where will they get diesel from - especially when winter is approaching?

It seems that Europeans will indeed have to face the consequences of the energy policy that they have considered manageable for years. European countries will have to open their storage facilities. And if the situation continues to develop in the same direction, all this will end in a serious energy shock for Brussels.