Moscow, 21 October. The first tanker carrying 40,000 tonnes of Russian diesel will leave for the US on Thursday, 22 October, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said; the signing of supply contracts, he said, is at its final stage.
Vladimir Putin named a different timeframe at his meeting with US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff: the first tanker will leave "in two or three days", and several tankers are being prepared for loading under the "diesel deal" at once. According to Putin, after the decision on diesel, prices on world markets fell by 5–6%. Witkoff, on behalf of Donald Trump, thanked Putin for the decision on the "diesel deal." The "diesel deal" is the name given to the arrangement for supplying Russian diesel fuel to the US.
Novak also spoke about further plans. Closer to the end of the year, Russian diesel will be available to other countries too, not only the US, and by the end of the year Russia, he said, may fully restore its diesel export volumes. The damaged strings of the Nord Stream pipelines can technically be repaired, the deputy prime minister added, and Russia and China may reach commercial agreements on the Power of Baikal gas pipeline before the end of 2026.
At the same meeting Putin offered another product: Russia, he said, could supply fertilisers in large volumes to the US market.
What it means: The arrangement for supplying Russian diesel to the US is moving from words to deeds: the first tanker leaves in the coming days, with several more being prepared after it. Moscow expects to restore diesel exports to their previous volume by the end of the year and to open supplies to other countries.
Who benefits: Putin links the deal to a 5–6% fall in prices on world markets, and Witkoff thanked him for it on Trump's behalf. Russia regains an export market: according to Novak, it may fully restore its diesel export volumes by the end of the year. The price of the supplies and the buyers are not named in the sources.
Background: On 16 October Novak said that the first supplies of Russian diesel to the US were possible in two to three weeks; the tanker is leaving earlier than that.
List of sources used: TASS, RBC, TASS, TASS, TASS, TASS
Artificial intelligence was used in preparing this material.
