US resumes Russian diesel imports after Trump-Putin deal. First tanker, carrying 40.000 tons of fuel, heads to New York

A tanker carrying 40.000 tons of Russian diesel fuel is heading to New York, following an agreement reached between US President Donald Trump and Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin. The ship is expected to arrive in the United States on November 7, marking the resumption of US imports of Russian oil products, banned in 2022 after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The information was published on Friday, October 23, by Reuters, which cites maritime transport monitoring data.

The Maltese-flagged tanker Agioi Fanendes was loaded on October 22 in the Russian port of Primorsk on the Baltic Sea. According to data from LSEG, the ship is carrying 40.000 tons of ultra-low-sulfur diesel fuel.

The identity of the buyer and seller was not known at the time of publication.

The shipment follows an agreement announced by Donald Trump on October 9, under which Russia committed to resume diesel supplies to international markets, including the United States. The decision was made in the context of sharply rising fuel prices and the US administration's efforts to reduce them ahead of the parliamentary elections on November 3.

To facilitate these imports, Trump suspended some provisions of a new US law on sanctions against Russia. At the same time, the US president threatened European countries with restrictions on US diesel exports if they do not release additional quantities of the fuel from their strategic reserves to help reduce prices.

Under the deal outlined by Trump, Russia would immediately export 300.000 tons of diesel, equivalent to about 2,25 million barrels, to the United States and other international markets. Another 500.000 tons would be delivered in November, followed by another million tons.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed on Friday that the first tanker had already left for buyers, without specifying whether its destination was the American market.

The resumption of deliveries became possible after Moscow lifted its own ban on diesel exports, previously introduced to protect the domestic market.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandr Novak said that more shipments to the United States would follow as companies from both countries finalize the necessary contracts. He said that Russia could reach 3-3,5 million tons of diesel per month by the end of the year, close to normal volumes.

The United States banned imports of Russian oil and petroleum products in 2022 in response to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The European Union, in turn, introduced a complete embargo on imports of petroleum products from Russia in February 2023.

After the introduction of European restrictions, Russia redirected a large part of its diesel exports to Turkey, Brazil and African states.

Maritime monitoring data shows that after the Russian ban was lifted, several tankers have started transporting diesel fuel to traditional markets again. At least two ships have indicated Turkey and Brazil as destinations, while the destinations of other shipments are still unknown.

The resumption of American imports represents a significant change in energy trade relations between Washington and Moscow, after more than four years in which direct deliveries of Russian petroleum products to the US were banned.