The first tanker carrying Russian diesel bound for the United States has departed the Baltic Sea port of Primorsk for New York, marking the initial physical shipment under a bilateral arrangement negotiated between U.S. President Donald Trump and the Kremlin, Reuters reported on Friday, citing ship-tracking data.
The voyage marks the first arrival of Russian refined petroleum products in the United States since former President Joe Biden imposed a blanket ban on Russian crude and energy imports in 2022 following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
President Trump announced the deal earlier this month in an effort to curb soaring retail diesel prices before the November 3 midterm elections. To facilitate the transaction, the U.S. administration waived specific statutory sanctions and tariff restrictions governing Russian energy exports. Trump had also pressed European allies to release fuel reserves to ease global supply pressures, warning that Washington could otherwise curtail its own distillate exports to Europe.
According to vessel-tracking data from the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG), the Malta-flagged medium-range tanker Agioi Fanendes departed Primorsk on October 22. The vessel is laden with approximately 40,000 metric tons of ultra-low-sulfur diesel (ULSD) and is scheduled to dock at an East Coast terminal near New York on November 7. The specific commercial buyer and intermediary counterparty have not been disclosed.
Under the parameters announced by Trump on October 9, Moscow agreed to release an initial 300,000 metric tons of diesel for American and international markets, to be followed by another 500,000 tons in November and a subsequent tranche of one million tons.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed the departure of the first tanker during a conference call on Friday, noting that the Russian Ministry of Energy had authorized the shipment and that trade flows would proceed as agreed. In tandem with the deal, Russia lifted its domestic diesel export restrictions, allowing tankers to resume deliveries to traditional export destinations, including Turkey and Brazil. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak stated that additional shipments could be dispatched to the U.S. on a regular timetable, subject to final commercial contracts between respective energy entities.
Source: Reuters (with vessel tracking via LSEG)