40,000-tonne shipment under the Trump-Putin deal is due in New York on November 7, drawing criticism from Kyiv and both US parties
Moscow, October 24: Three tankers carrying Russian diesel have left the port of Primorsk for the United States under a new import arrangement, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said on Friday. It is the first such delivery to America since 2023.
Novak said the tankers were heading across the Atlantic with significant support from the Russian Direct Investment Fund. Marine intelligence firm Kpler said the first vessel had signalled it was bound for New York, with arrival expected on November 7. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said regular supplies would follow.
The first shipment totals about 40,000 tonnes, or roughly 300,000 barrels. According to AP, that is about 7% of the four million barrels of diesel the US uses each day. Trump has said Russia will supply more than 300,000 tonnes immediately, followed by larger volumes in the coming months.
The deal, announced two weeks ago after a Trump-Putin phone call, is widely seen as an effort to bring down US fuel prices ahead of the midterm elections. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called it a “weak decision by strong partners”. Lawmakers from both parties criticised it, and some accused Trump of breaking US law.
It marks a sharp policy reversal. Last month, Trump signed a sanctions law allowing tariffs of up to 100% on the top five buyers of Russian energy, including India. Days after the diesel deal, he waived those sanctions on national-interest grounds, though they could be revived at any time.
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