The first shipment of Russian diesel to the United States, following an agreement between Moscow and former U.S. President Donald Trump, is on its way to New York. This shipment, consisting of 40,000 tons of low-sulfur diesel, was loaded at the Baltic port of Primorsk in Russia and is expected to arrive in the United States on November 7.
Shipment Details and Loading Date
This oil tanker, flying the Maltese flag and named Agioi Fanendes, was loaded on October 22. This shipment is the first imported diesel to the United States since President Joe Biden announced a ban on imports of Russian oil and petroleum products in 2022.
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The Trump Agreement and Its Consequences
The agreement announced by Trump earlier this month aims to reduce high diesel prices ahead of the midterm elections on November 3. Trump has also exempted parts of the new U.S. sanctions law against Russia and threatened European countries that if they do not release more of their emergency reserves, U.S. diesel exports to Europe will be halted.
This shipment comes amid increasing Russian diesel exports to global markets, especially following the European Union's sanctions imposed in February 2023 due to the Ukraine war. Since then, Russia has primarily exported diesel to Turkey and Brazil.
Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesperson, has confirmed that the first tanker under this agreement has set sail, but did not specify whether its destination is the United States. According to him, this agreement also includes the lifting of Russia's self-imposed ban on diesel exports.
According to transportation data, other tankers are also heading to their traditional destinations, with two more tankers traveling to Turkey and Brazil. However, the destinations of other tankers remain unclear, and some are heading towards Gibraltar, the Atlantic coast, or Port Said.
Alexander Novak, the Deputy Prime Minister of Russia, has announced that diesel exports to the United States will soon continue, and companies from both countries are reviewing the necessary contracts. Additionally, Kirill Dmitriev, Putin's representative and head of the Russian National Wealth Fund, stated that the U.S. Treasury has asked this fund to resolve complex payment issues related to this agreement.
Novak also indicated that Russia would be able to increase its diesel exports to normal levels of 3 to 3.5 million tons per month by the end of this year.
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