First Russian diesel shipment heads to US after Trump-Putin deal
A tanker carrying approximately 40,000 tonnes of ultra-low sulphur diesel from Russia’s Baltic port of Primorsk is en route to New York, according to shipping data from Kpler and LSEG. The Malta-flagged vessel Agioi Fanendes is expected to arrive on 7 November, four days after the US midterm elections. If delivered, it would be the first Russian diesel cargo to the US tracked by Kpler since July 2023 and the first from Primorsk to New York since January 2022.
Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak, who oversees energy policy, said on Wednesday that the first shipment would depart the following day, with more to follow as Russian and US companies finalise delivery contracts. The move follows an agreement announced by President Donald Trump on 9 October to temporarily ease US sanctions on Russian diesel, while Russia lifted its own export ban. Trump said Russia would supply 300,000 tonnes, followed by 500,000 tonnes in November and 1 million tonnes “immediately thereafter”. The measure is seen as an attempt to lower fuel prices for American consumers ahead of the midterm elections, but it drew sharp criticism from Ukraine and allies, including members of Trump’s Republican Party. After the EU embargo on Russian petroleum products in February 2023, Russian diesel exports shifted mainly to Brazil, Turkey and African countries.
