In a move that has surprised absolutely no one who has been paying attention to the last few months of global energy chaos, US President Donald Trump announced Friday that he has struck a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to "immediately release" diesel into the global market. Because nothing says "America First" like outsourcing your fuel supply to the guy you've been sanctioning.

The agreement, as detailed by Trump on his Truth Social platform, will see Russia release 300,000 tonnes of diesel immediately, followed by 500,000 tonnes in November and another million after that. "Diesel Prices for Americans and, indeed, the World, will be COMING DOWN, IN RECORD NUMBERS, AND FAST!" Trump wrote, in a post that we can only assume was typed in all caps while someone frantically searched for the nearest off-ramp from the political mess he's currently in.

The deal comes as Trump grapples with the domestic fallout from the Iran war, which began in February and has sent global energy prices soaring. The average diesel price in the US is currently $6.28 (£4.74) a gallon, according to AAA, down from a record high of $6.53 at the end of September. So, technically, prices are already coming down. But why let a good crisis go to waste when you can solve it by cutting a deal with the guy you're supposed to be isolating?

Shortly after the announcement, the US Treasury formally issued a temporary license allowing Russian diesel into the market. Putin's envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, welcomed the deal on social media, saying: "Russia-US co-operation on diesel and energy will benefit the world." Which is definitely a sentence that doesn't sound ominous at all.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, however, was less enthused. He hit out at the deal, saying "gifts to Putin will not work for peace" and that Russia would repay the diesel with "further terror." "Allowing Russia to sell petroleum products is an investment in a war that must be ended, not prolonged," he wrote on social media. Zelensky also defended Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian oil refineries, which have caused two waves of severe fuel shortages in Russia this year and, according to the International Energy Agency, have cut its diesel production by nearly 30%. "Ukraine will not set Russian oil refineries on fire if Russia does not destroy our energy infrastructure," he said. Fair point, really.

Trump, for his part, has expressed displeasure over those attacks, blaming them for rising fuel prices. Because nothing says "supporting your ally" like getting mad at them for defending themselves.

The deal represents a remarkable about-face for the US, which recently enacted legislation - signed by Trump himself - to authorise new sanctions and tariffs on nations that import Russian oil and gas. It also opens Trump up to criticism from European allies and pro-Ukraine politicians in the US, who may point out that the American president is now effectively helping to fund Moscow's war machine. But hey, midterms are coming.

What impact the deal will actually have on fuel prices remains unclear. The global benchmark for crude oil, Brent, remains above $103 a barrel. Before the war with Iran, Brent crude was trading at about $73 a barrel. So, you know, there's that.

The BBC has contacted the White House for comment on what reimbursement the US is providing Russia in return for the release of diesel. We'll update you when we get a response that isn't just a shrug emoji.

With the looming US midterm congressional elections - which will determine if Republicans maintain control of Congress - Trump has been searching for ways to ease his party's political pain. Earlier this week, he said he was "thinking about" suspending the federal tax on gasoline, and also announced that he would allow so-called red dye diesel to be used on US highways without facing federal tax. He has also successfully pressured G7 nations into releasing 100 million barrels of oil and diesel from stockpiles to help ease supply concerns, and previously supported calls for a ban on diesel exports from the US. So, to summarise: he's tried everything, and now he's trying Putin. What could possibly go wrong?