Summary
- Russia will send its first Russian diesel shipment to the United States on Thursday, when a tanker leaves port, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said.
- Novak also looked beyond the American market, saying each Russian diesel shipment depends on refinery capacity.
- For now, the first Russian diesel shipment turns a political announcement into a physical cargo, and critics in Congress and Kyiv will watch how it unfolds.
Russia will send its first Russian diesel shipment to the United States on Thursday, when a tanker leaves port, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said.
- What Putin said about the Russian diesel shipment
- How the diesel deal began
- Why the Russian diesel shipment matters at home
The tanker will carry 40,000 tons of fuel. Novak told reporters that more cargoes will follow, and that Moscow will meet US needs “within the range of our capabilities.”
He added that the contract between the two sides is in its final stage.
What Putin said about the Russian diesel shipment
Vladimir Putin raised the cargo during talks with US envoy Steve Witkoff. The first tanker would sail within two to three days, he said. Russia is also preparing several more tankers to go at the same time.
Novak also looked beyond the American market, saying each Russian diesel shipment depends on refinery capacity. By year’s end, he said, other countries should be able to receive Russian diesel too. In his view, Moscow could fully restore its export volumes by then.
Shipments are resuming “within the capabilities of our oil refineries,” he said.
How the diesel deal began
Donald Trump and Putin spoke by phone on October 9. Afterward, the two leaders announced a plan to sell Russian diesel to American and world buyers.
The US Treasury Department then issued a temporary license that lets Russian diesel reach buyers despite sanctions in place since 2022.
Trump described an immediate delivery of over 300,000 tons. By his account, another 500,000 tons would follow in November, then a further million tons. One report put the overall figure at up to 5 million tonnes.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the arrangement an “investment in war.” On October 17, a bill appeared in the US Congress that aims to block the deal.
Why the Russian diesel shipment matters at home
The agreement is a bid to ease high fuel prices before the November 3 elections. Diesel has topped $6.50 a gallon, a record, in the United States, because the wars in Iran and Ukraine squeeze supply. That pressure also hits households ahead of the vote.
Senators from both parties have also pushed the administration to act on heating oil. The stock sits in Maine, Massachusetts and Connecticut, and bidders from the retail and terminal trades can apply for the barrels. Heating oil matters most in New England, where it warms many homes. On Wednesday, the Energy Department offered to lend out nearly a third of a small emergency stock of heating oil, hoping to calm prices.
Markets showed little reaction to the Novak comments. West Texas Intermediate crude traded about 1% higher near $98.85 at the time of writing.
Witkoff’s visit also produced the release of an American held in Russia, a sign that talks between the two capitals are moving. Even so, the talks left the main questions on ending the war open.
Traders will also watch how quickly further cargoes follow. For now, the first Russian diesel shipment turns a political announcement into a physical cargo, and critics in Congress and Kyiv will watch how it unfolds.
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