Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said on Wednesday that a tanker carrying Russian diesel will depart for the United States on Thursday, marking the start of a fuel supply arrangement agreed between President Vladimir Putin and President Donald Trump. Novak did not name the port, the supplier or the vessel involved.
“The first tanker, as planned, will leave the port tomorrow,” Novak said. He added that further shipments would follow in subsequent batches.
Deal struck by phone
The arrangement traces back to a phone call earlier in October, during which Putin agreed to ease restrictions on diesel exports and direct more fuel toward global markets, including the United States. Russia has pledged 500,000 tons of diesel as part of an initial phase, though no precise timeframe was set for that volume.
Novak said Moscow intends to lift diesel exports gradually through November and December. Analysts have cautioned that the volumes involved are too small to shift prices meaningfully before the US midterm elections.
Political backdrop
The agreement has drawn opposition from lawmakers in both the United States and Europe. Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff traveled to St. Petersburg for talks with Putin around the same period. Separately, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Witkoff in Oslo.
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Turkey has said it will take a portion of the Russian diesel covered by the deal. Russia’s Tass news agency and Bloomberg both reported on the planned shipment.
Related: Novak says diesel supply gap has reached 25% of world trade
