MOSCOW, September 28. /TASS/. If Washington goes through with banning the export of diesel to other countries, it will put Europe in a very bad spot while not really helping the US either, Oleg Nikolayev, expert at the Stolypin Institute for the Economy of Growth, a member of the General Council of Business Russia, told TASS.

US President Donald Trump said earlier that he was very seriously considering imposing a ban on the export of diesel fuel.

"The ban on diesel exports from the US will have a severely negative impact on Europe as the share of American diesel currently accounts for up to half of European consumption," the expert said.

Nikolyaev admits the importance of US supplies to the European market may be one of the reasons why Washington is currently only considering the possibility of imposing restrictions. "This is precisely why the ban has not been adopted but is under consideration. Trump views it as a bargaining chip in economic negotiations with a former geopolitical ally," he explained.

The expert does not expect the potential export restriction to bring significant benefit to the United States itself. "It offers no benefit to America, except perhaps to plug the gap in the domestic market, which would not have arisen under other circumstances," Nikolayev said.

According to the expert, a potential ban could further complicate Washington’s relations with other countries and become yet another "disruptive step for the global economy."