A tanker carrying 40,000 metric tonnes of Russian diesel is heading towards New York, marking the first US import of Russian petroleum products since former President Joe Biden banned them in 2022, according to ship-tracking data and a Reuters report.
The Malta-flagged tanker Agioi Fanendes was loaded with ultra-low-sulphur diesel at Russia’s Baltic port of Primorsk on October 22 and is expected to arrive in the United States on November 7, LSEG shipping data showed on Friday. The cargo is the first shipment identified under an agreement reached this month between Moscow and US President Donald Trump.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed on Friday that the first tanker under the arrangement had departed, telling reporters that further shipments would follow ‘at a steady pace.’ He did not specify the vessel’s destination, and the identities of the buyer and seller were not immediately known.
Why Washington Made the Deal
Trump announced the surprise agreement on October 9 as part of his efforts to bring down soaring diesel prices ahead of the November 3 midterm elections. Under the arrangement, Russia would initially export 300,000 metric tonnes of diesel to the United States and global markets, followed by 500,000 tonnes in November and one million tonnes “immediately thereafter,” the president said.
The deal also involved Washington easing parts of its sanctions against Russia, while Moscow agreed to lift a self-imposed ban on diesel exports. Trump separately threatened Europe with a US diesel export ban unless countries released more from their emergency reserves to help ease prices.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak has said additional shipments will follow as Russian and US companies work out delivery contracts. Putin’s envoy Kirill Dmitriev, who heads Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, said last week that the US Treasury had asked the fund to help resolve complicated payment issues relating to the agreement.
It Won’t Arrive Before the Midterms
The tanker is scheduled to reach New York four days after the midterm elections, on November 7. Energy policy experts have questioned how much difference the shipment will make at the pump: at roughly 300,000 barrels, the cargo represents only about 7 to 8 percent of the approximately 4 million barrels of diesel consumed by the US economy each day, according to the Associated Press and market analysts.
Market intelligence firm Energy Aspects confirmed with industry sources that the ship was loaded with 298,000 barrels of diesel at Primorsk, NBC reported.
Criticism From Kyiv and US Lawmakers
The decision has drawn criticism from Ukraine and some US lawmakers, who have pressed for tougher economic restrictions on Russia over the ongoing war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has pushed for stronger sanctions on Russian oil products, arguing that energy revenues fund Moscow’s war effort.
Since the European Union banned Russian petroleum products in February 2023, Moscow has largely redirected diesel exports towards Turkey, Brazil and African markets. The new arrangement marks a significant shift in Washington’s energy policy towards Moscow — a reversal of the 2022 import ban imposed after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Whether the shipments meaningfully reduce US diesel prices — or survive beyond the initial cargoes — will depend on delivery contracts still being negotiated between Russian and American companies.