Russian fuel: Maud Bregeon says on BFMTV that EU sanctions remain in force after Donald Trump's announcement

A government clarification

Appearing on BFMTV's Face à face on Monday, October 12, 2026, government spokesperson Maud Bregeon said there would be no Russian fuel at French service stations tomorrow. She was responding to an announcement made on Friday by Donald Trump, according to BFM Business.

According to BFM Business, the U.S. president said he had negotiated the delivery of massive quantities of Russian diesel to the American market and to world markets, which would require lifting sanctions against Moscow. Volodymyr Zelensky described this decision as "unworthy."

European sanctions still in place

According to the headline of BFM Business, Maud Bregeon believes the agreement between Donald Trump and Russia does not call into question the sanctions decided by the European Union. She said the controls would apply to both crude oil and refined products, whether they come directly from Russia or pass through third countries for transport and refining.

BFM Business describes Maud Bregeon as minister delegate for Energy. She stated that the authorities have the means to verify the entire traceability chain.

Reservations about price trends

Regarding any possible downward effects of these Russian deliveries on fuel prices, Maud Bregeon said she wanted to remain very cautious. In her view, as long as the arrival date and, above all, the volumes remain unknown, it is impossible to anticipate a drop in prices.

France's strategic reserves

She did, however, argue that putting 10 million liters from France's strategic reserves on the market would have an impact on prices. She confirmed that the goal was a reduction of 12 to 18 cents per liter.

According to BFM Business, these volumes will be distributed over three months, at a wholesale price three to four times lower than the market price. The outlet adds that pump prices should fall if distributors play along.

Margin monitoring announced

Maud Bregeon assured that the government has tools to monitor the value chain. She mentioned a possible review of margins station by station, distributor by distributor, week by week. She stated that the government would be "uncompromising" and said that, so far, distributors had played along.

She acknowledged that part of the price depends on geopolitical events in the Middle East, which she said she cannot control.

Analysis

Based on the reported remarks, the government is taking two positions: a clear assertion about the origin of the fuel sold in France, and caution about the effect of the U.S.-Russia agreement on prices. The downward lever it highlights is that of strategic reserves, whose impact depends on how distributors pass it on. The source does not specify the timing or the volumes of the Russian deliveries mentioned.