Russian Diesel Shipment, Part of Trump-Brokered Deal, Heads to US
The first shipment of Russian diesel under a deal involving former President Trump is en route to New York but will not arrive until after the midterm elections.
The first shipment of Russian diesel fuel, part of a deal brokered with Moscow by former President Donald Trump, is currently on a tanker bound for New York. The vessel, the Malta-flagged "Agoio Fanades," loaded approximately 40,000 metric tons of ultra-low-sulfur diesel at Russia’s Baltic port of Primorsk on Thursday. According to ship-tracking data, it is expected to reach the United States on November 7, four days after the upcoming midterm elections.
The specific buyer and seller involved in this transaction remain undisclosed. Market intelligence firm Energy Aspects confirmed with industry sources that the tanker carried about 298,000 barrels of diesel. This quantity represents a fraction of the U.S. daily consumption, which averages around 3.8 million barrels per day, meaning this shipment would fulfill approximately 7.8% of a single day's demand.
This shipment marks the first instance of Russian diesel being imported into the U.S. since former President Joe Biden imposed a ban on Russian energy products in 2022, following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Earlier this month, Trump announced the lifting of this ban, stating it was an effort to combat rising fuel prices ahead of the November midterms. This decision drew criticism from some U.S. lawmakers and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has advocated for stricter sanctions against Russian oil products.
Trump had previously stated that Russia would initially export 300,000 metric tons (2.25 million barrels) to the U.S. and global markets, with subsequent shipments of 500,000 tons in November and 1 million tons soon after. The U.S. Treasury Department issued a general license to permit companies to engage in the trade of Russian diesel without facing U.S. sanctions.
A spokesperson for the Kremlin confirmed on Friday that the first vessel under the new agreement had departed. However, the spokesperson did not specify whether the destination was the U.S. market or another location. "As far as I’m aware, there have already been reports from the Ministry of Energy that the first tanker has, in fact, set sail for its recipients, its buyers. Further shipments will continue at a steady pace from here on," said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov during a daily conference call.