A deal that allowed the United States to import Russian diesel could help the two countries gradually rebuild business ties, a Russian deputy foreign minister said on Monday — even as the tankers meant to deliver the fuel turn away from American shores.
Alexander Pankin told the TASS state news agency that the “diesel deal” could “serve as a foundation for the gradual restoration of business and other ties between our countries”, Reuters reported.
The agreement was announced on 9 October, after a phone call between President Donald Trump and President Vladimir Putin. Mr Trump said Russia would immediately supply more than 300,000 metric tons of diesel to US and global markets, followed by 500,000 tonnes in November and one million tonnes after that. The US Treasury issued a temporary licence the same day, authorising the sale, delivery and import of Russian-origin diesel until 7 April 2027.
The deal was struck as diesel prices in the United States sat near record highs, and as Mr Trump sought to calm fuel costs before the midterm elections on 3 November, which his Republican Party lost. On the day of the announcement, the average US diesel price was about $6.28 a gallon, and it was barely changed by election day.
A month on, however, no Russian diesel has been confirmed discharged in the United States. Shipping data from Kpler and LSEG show two of the first tankers bound for the US East Coast have changed course. The Russian tanker Talisman, which left the Baltic port of Primorsk in October, is now in the Mediterranean off Algeria signalling “for orders”. The Sierra Leone-flagged Leruo switched its destination to Brazil on 2 November.
A third vessel, the Greek-owned Agioi Fanendes, loaded about 40,000 tonnes of ultra-low-sulphur diesel at Primorsk on 22 October and kept crossing the Atlantic, but changed its listed destination from New York to “for orders”. A fourth, the Seychelles-owned Beast, loaded in late October and is signalling only “Atlantic”.
The faltering deliveries reflect legal risk rather than a shortage of fuel. Congress’s 2022 ban on Russian oil imports remains in force, and the Treasury licence does not expressly repeal it. New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill, a Democrat, has warned port and terminal operators that handling the diesel could violate federal law and bring sanctions. Both diverted tankers are themselves under Western sanctions — the Talisman by the US, Britain and the EU, and the Leruo by Britain, the EU and Canada.
Moscow insists the deal stands. Kirill Dmitriev, Mr Putin’s special envoy for US relations, dismissed reports of the diversions as “fake” on X, and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said all the diesel would find buyers, while declining to comment on the ships’ movements.
The volumes involved are modest in global terms: the 500,000 tonnes promised for November represent about 0.4 per cent of world consumption. But the episode has become a test of whether Washington and Moscow can do business again — and, for now, the fuel is still at sea.
This is a developing story: the movements of the tankers rest on shipping data from Kpler and LSEG, and neither the White House nor the Kremlin has disclosed the deal’s pricing, payment terms or the companies involved.
Sources: Reuters — “Russian diesel deal with US could offer Moscow a chance to mend business ties, Russian diplomat says” (https://www.reuters.com/business/russian-diesel-deal-with-us-could-offer-moscow-chance-mend-business-ties-russian-2026-11-09/); Associated Press — “Tankers carrying Russian diesel change course, raising doubts about shipments to US”, 6 November 2026 (http://www.hamiltoncountyherald.com/story.aspx?id=29872&date=11/6/2026); Le Monde — “US-Russia diesel deal touted by Trump falters”, 7 November 2026 (https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2026/11/07/us-russia-diesel-deal-touted-by-trump-falters_6774022_4.html).
