Russia Diesel Exports to United States Begin With First Tanker on Thursday

U.S. President Donald Trump and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin shake hands, via Reuters

Russia will dispatch its first tanker of diesel fuel to the United States on Thursday, October 22, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said, putting into practice a deal announced by President Donald Trump earlier this month.

Novak told reporters in St. Petersburg on Wednesday that the tanker is planned to leave port on Thursday for the United States. He said the vessel will carry 40,000 metric tons of diesel and that the paperwork for the supply is nearing completion. He did not say which port the ship will leave from.

“Subsequent shipments will follow, of course,” Novak said. “As has been agreed by the two leaders, we will meet the needs of the United States within the range of our capabilities.” He said that toward the end of the year, countries other than the United States could also receive Russian diesel, and that Russia could fully restore its diesel export volumes by the year.

Trump announced the arrangement on October 9, after a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. He said Russia would immediately export 300,000 metric tons of diesel, equal to about 2.25 million barrels, followed by 500,000 metric tons in November and a million metric tons immediately after that. Based on federal energy data, 2.25 million barrels is well under one day of American diesel consumption.

Russia lifted its own restriction on diesel exports as part of the arrangement. The ban was introduced to ease domestic fuel shortages caused by Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian refineries. The United States Treasury Department also issued a temporary license that allows Russian diesel into the market. The 40,000-ton shipment is the only cargo specified so far, and reports do not establish that the larger announced volumes have been contracted, loaded or delivered.

The shipment comes as Putin hosts Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, in St. Petersburg. Witkoff thanked Putin during the talks for lifting the export restrictions, and Putin said diesel prices dropped after the agreement. Putin said global diesel prices fell by 5 to 6 percent. He also said Russia is interested in restoring wider economic cooperation with the United States and is ready to supply larger quantities of fertilizer to the American market. According to reports, Putin also freed an American citizen held in Russia.

Witkoff arrived in Russia a day after meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Oslo, where officials from Norway, Finland and several European countries joined the talks. It had been unclear whether he would travel on to Russia.

The diesel deal has coincided with a sharp deterioration in relations between Washington and Kyiv. Zelensky said the arrangement looked like “a happy birthday present for Putin.” Ukrainian officials worry that the energy agreement with Moscow could ease pressure on Russia over its war in Ukraine. Trump has blamed Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries for high fuel prices in the United States, where prices have risen since the war on Iran began.

Kyiv and Washington have also traded accusations over intelligence sharing. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Monday there had been no pause in intelligence sharing with Ukraine, after Zelensky said Washington briefly halted some support before restoring it.