Three tankers carrying Russian diesel are heading towards North America after the United States authorised renewed imports of Russian-origin fuel, marking a significant change in American energy policy during the continuing war in Ukraine.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak confirmed on 23 October 2026 that the first three vessels were under way, with Moscow seeking to supply as much as 500,000 metric tonnes of diesel during October.
One identified shipment is aboard the Malta-flagged tanker Agioi Fanendes, which loaded approximately 40,000 metric tonnes of ultra-low-sulphur diesel at Russia’s Baltic port of Primorsk on 22 October. Ship-tracking data indicated that the vessel was bound for New York, with an expected arrival on 7 November.
The shipments follow a new agreement between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin intended to increase international diesel supplies and ease fuel prices.
On 9 October, the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control issued General License 135, authorising specified transactions involving the sale, transportation and importation of Russian-origin diesel. The licence creates an exception to sanctions restrictions; it does not remove every sanction imposed on Russia.
The arrangement is politically consequential because Western governments have used restrictions on Russian energy trade to reduce Moscow’s revenues during its invasion of Ukraine. Ukrainian officials have criticised the renewed transactions, arguing that additional fuel sales could benefit Russia financially.
It remains uncertain how much Russian diesel will reach American consumers or whether the shipments will produce a measurable reduction in domestic fuel prices.
Sources
- Issuance of Russia-related General License 135, US Department of the Treasury, 9 October 2026.
- Russia Shipping First Diesel Cargo to US After Sanctions Waiver, S&P Global Commodity Insights, 21 October 2026.
- Russian Diesel Tanker Heads for US Following Trump-Putin Deal, FreightWaves, 23 October 2026.
- First Russian Diesel From Putin-Trump Deal Heading for US, Reuters, 23 October 2026, distributed by Al-Monitor.
