Russian Diesel Returns to the U.S.: Tanker Leaves the Baltic Sea After Trump-Putin Deal

The tanker Agioi Fanendes, flying the Maltese flag and carrying 40,000 tons of Russian ultra-low sulfur diesel, is heading to New York. This was reported by Reuters on October 23, citing data from the maritime tracking system LSEG. According to this data, the vessel was loaded on October 22 at the Russian port of Primorsk in the Baltic Sea. Its arrival in the U.S. is expected on November 7. ### What Changed After the Trump-Putin Agreements The delivery became possible after agreements between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, which provided for the return of Russian diesel to international markets, including the American one. The U.S. administration hopes to reduce diesel prices ahead of the midterm elections scheduled for November 3. Previously, Trump partially eased new sanctions against Russia and threatened European countries with restrictions on U.S. diesel exports if they did not start using their strategic fuel reserves more actively. As part of the agreements reached, Russia agreed to lift its own ban on diesel exports. On October 9, Trump announced that Moscow would immediately supply 300,000 tons of diesel to the global market, which corresponds to approximately 2.25 million barrels. In November, the volume of supplies is expected to increase to 500,000 tons and then to one million tons. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak stated that by the end of the year, diesel exports could return to normal volumes of three to 3.5 million tons per month. ### The Baltic Sea Becomes a Route for Russian Supplies Again Primorsk, located on the coast of the Gulf of Finland, remains one of the most important Russian ports for the export of petroleum products. According to Reuters, several tankers loaded with Russian diesel were also loaded here last week. However, their final destinations have not been established yet: tracking systems indicated Gibraltar, the Atlantic coast, or Port Said. After the full European embargo on Russian petroleum products came into effect in February 2023, Russia was forced to redirect a significant portion of its diesel exports to other markets. The main buyers became Brazil, Turkey, and several African countries. Now the geography of supplies is changing again. ## Politics Yielding to Fuel Prices? The resumption of Russian diesel supplies to the U.S. occurs against the backdrop of the ongoing war in Ukraine and persistent disagreements between Moscow and Western countries. For Washington, the key factor has been the situation in the fuel market. High diesel prices increase costs for transportation companies, agricultural enterprises, and other sectors of the economy, which ultimately affects the cost of goods. However, this is still about a delivery that is only heading toward American shores. The actual arrival and unloading of the tanker have not yet taken place. Nevertheless, the very fact of sending Russian fuel from a Baltic port toward New York demonstrates how quickly energy interests can alter trade routes even amid serious political contradictions.