Update. Vladimir Putin, speaking at a meeting with Steve Witkoff, said the first tanker carrying diesel fuel “will leave in two to three days.” Russia is preparing to send several tankers to the U.S. at once as part of the diesel deal, with the first shipment carrying 40,000 tons of diesel, Putin added.
Russia’s first diesel fuel shipment to the United States is scheduled for Thursday, October 22, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said.
The signing of the relevant contract is “in its final stage,” he said, adding that further shipments of diesel fuel “will follow.”
Novak also said Russia could fully restore its diesel fuel export volumes by the end of 2026, with shipments currently resuming “within the capabilities of our oil refineries.”
Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin held a phone call on October 9, after which they announced that Russia and the United States had agreed to supply Russian diesel fuel to the American and global markets. The U.S. Treasury Department issued a temporary license allowing Russian diesel fuel to reach the global market despite U.S. sanctions. Trump said the two sides agreed on the “immediate” delivery of more than 300,000 tons of Russian diesel. Russia will supply another 500,000 tons in November, followed by an additional million tons.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the Russia–U.S. diesel deal an “investment in war.”
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