Gill declined to share details on the content of the diplomatic talks but said “there are strong voices — also there — that believe any proposed ban of this nature would be a very bad idea indeed.”
The EU’s imports of U.S. diesel have increased in recent months, and the bloc currently imports some 57 percent of its diesel from America. Prices have shot up amid the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries.
The planned ban, first reported by POLITICO, would last 90 days amid growing concerns from U.S. farmers over rising fuel prices. However, the move has drawn vociferous opposition from the U.S. oil sector, which has warned the ban would significantly tighten global supply. Trump’s energy secretary, Chris Wright, also opposes the ban.
Anna-Kaisa Itkonen, a Commission spokesperson, added that Brussels was “monitoring the markets and security of supply very, very closely, together with our member states.” She said the EU was a “big U.S. diesel importer” and remains a “solid and attractive market to the United States.”