Russia to send first diesel tanker to the United States under new deal

Russia is due to send its first diesel tanker to the United States on Thursday, according to Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak. The vessel will carry 40,000 tonnes of fuel and is expected to arrive at an undisclosed US port. Novak said the shipment is part of an agreement reached with US President Donald Trump, with additional deliveries expected to follow.

Novak did not identify the destination port, but said more vessels would be sent after the first tanker. He said Russia would meet US demand "to the extent of our capabilities," and added that the financial arrangements still needed to be put in place. The comments were reported on Wednesday, ahead of the planned shipment date.

US special envoy Steve Witkoff also said preparations were under way for several tanker deliveries. The planned export comes after Russia lifted its diesel export ban on 9 October. Moscow had imposed the restriction to address domestic shortages after Ukrainian drone strikes disrupted production capacity.

Earlier this month, Ukraine's defence ministry said drone attacks had knocked out at least half of Russia's oil refining capacity, forcing cuts at some of the country's largest diesel-producing refineries. The shipment therefore comes at a time when Russia's fuel sector is still under pressure. The development is significant because it links energy trade directly to wider diplomatic contacts between Moscow and Washington.

Diesel is a key industrial and transport fuel, and the reported deal comes as US consumers continue to face elevated prices at the pump. The average diesel price in the United States was reported at $6.31 a gallon, down from $6.51 a month earlier, but still high by recent standards. The reported arrangement also follows earlier comments from Trump that Moscow would export 300,000 tonnes, or 2.25 million barrels, followed by 500,000 tonnes in November and 1 million tonnes immediately afterwards.

Novak said additional shipments would follow, while Witkoff said Russia could also supply fertilisers in large quantities to the US market. Those remarks suggest the talks may extend beyond a single fuel cargo and into broader trade discussions. What remains unclear is which US port will receive the first shipment and how quickly the wider export schedule will be implemented.

It is also not clear how the financial side of the deal will be structured or whether the reported volumes will be delivered on the timetable described. The next developments to watch are confirmation of the vessel's departure, the port of arrival and whether further cargoes are dispatched as promised.

#Russia #UnitedStates #diesel #energytrade #AlexanderNovak

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