First Shipment of Russian Diesel Expected to Depart for the United States Under Trump Deal
Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said a Russian tanker carrying the first diesel shipment to the United States would leave port on Thursday, 22 October, and that the vessel's displacement is 40,000 metric tons, without specifying how much diesel was aboard. President Donald Trump announced the diesel deal on 9 October, saying Russia would immediately supply 300,000 metric tons to the United States and global markets, followed by 500,000 tons in November and 1 million tons thereafter. Russia partially lifted its diesel export ban the following day, and most experts agree the agreement will have little effect on global energy markets in the near future.
Why it matters: The shipment bears on energy security, as a bilateral United States-Russia diesel deal redirects supply while European allies criticise it as straining transatlantic relations.