Novak said the first tanker carrying 40,000 tonnes of diesel will leave on 22 October for the United States, with more shipments to follow.
Trump said Russia would export 300,000 tonnes immediately, 500,000 tonnes in November and 1 million tonnes after that, with another three million tonnes to follow.
Novak said Russia exports only what its refineries can produce and expects to reach the planned level only at the end of the year.
Witkoff met Putin on 21 October, and Putin said diesel prices had fallen by 5 to 6% after the agreement was announced.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said on 21 October that the first tanker would depart on 22 October carrying 40,000 tonnes of diesel bound for the United States. The cargo falls under the arrangement between Trump and Putin, which temporarily eases financial and trade sanctions on the fuel. Putin said the same day that the first vessel would leave in two or three days, with several tankers being readied to sail one after another. Novak added that further shipments would follow and that the paperwork for the supply agreement was in its final stage. He also said Russia currently exports only what its refineries can produce, not the full volume the deal envisages.
Trump has said Russia would immediately export 300,000 tonnes of diesel, followed by 500,000 tonnes in November and then 1 million tonnes. According to LBC, he also said Russia would provide another three million tonnes within a short period. Novak's account is more cautious, since he said the planned level would be reached only at the end of the year. Other countries would then again receive the diesel volumes they got before, once that level is reached.
Data from the article text
Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian refineries have cut gasoline and diesel output and created a fuel deficit inside Russia. That shortage has pushed up prices and caused long queues at petrol stations. Russia lifted its self-imposed diesel export ban on 9 October in response to the domestic scarcity. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticised the deal as "an investment in a war that must be ended". Washington has pressed Zelenskyy in recent days to halt strikes on Russian refineries, according to Europa Press.
Steve Witkoff, the US special envoy, met Putin in St Petersburg on 21 October and thanked him for lifting the export restrictions. Witkoff said:
“That's an example of us working together, I want to thank you for that.”
Putin said global diesel prices had fallen by 5 to 6% after the agreement was announced. He also offered to supply fertiliser in large quantities to the US market and offered help with Iran, citing a decades-long relationship with Tehran. Putin suggested a meeting with Trump in China next month, which the Kremlin said could also include Chinese President Xi Jinping. The talks therefore covered fertiliser and Iran alongside diesel.
Europa Press reports that the US midterm elections are two weeks away and that the administration wants to slow the rise in diesel prices and ease inflation. Inflation has hit sectors such as transport, agriculture and livestock directly. Handelsblatt notes that diesel prices rose to record highs during the US war against Iran, which is a political burden for Trump and his Republican Party before the midterms in early November. The first tanker is due to sail on 22 October.
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Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said the 40,000-tonne cargo is the first shipment under the Trump-Putin deal, which temporarily eases sanctions on Russian diesel. Putin said several more tankers would follow.
AI text based on reports by LBC, Handelsblatt, Correio da Manha and other publishers. Published .