Russia to send first diesel tanker to the US amid Trump deal

Russia will send on Thursday its first diesel tanker to the US to an undisclosed port.

The Russian tanker comes amid high diesel prices for US consumers [File: David Zalubowski/AP]

Russia will send its first tanker of diesel fuel to the United States on Thursday, Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak told reporters amid a deal with US President Donald Trump.

The vessel will have 40,000 tonnes of fuel, but Novak, who made his remarks on Wednesday, did not name which US port the fuel would be delivered to.

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Russia lifted its ban on diesel exports on October 9, which Moscow originally put in place to tackle the country’s shortages as Ukrainian-led drone strikes hindered production capacity.

The shipment comes despite setbacks for Russia’s diesel output. Earlier this month, Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence said that drone strikes knocked out at least half of Russia’s oil refining capacity, forcing cuts at Russia’s top diesel-producing refineries.

“Additional shipments will follow, of course. There were agreements reached between the two leaders. We will meet the United States’ needs, to the extent of our capabilities,” the RIA Novosti news agency quoted Novak as saying.

That was echoed by US special envoy Steve Witkoff, who has been meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin for talks in St Petersburg.

“We are preparing deliveries of several vessels, the tankers, right now. They will go one after another. The financial component should be provided,” he said, adding that Russia would also be able to supply fertilisers in “large quantities” to the US market.

US President Donald Trump had previously said that Moscow would export 300,000 tonnes, or 2.25 million barrels, followed by 500,000 tonnes in November and 1 million tonnes “immediately thereafter”.

US consumers have continued to face high prices at the petrol station, particularly for diesel fuel, a pressing point as the country heads into midterm elections in less than two weeks. The average price for a gallon of diesel is $6.31 ($1.70 per litre), according to the American Automobile Association (AAA). While prices remain well over the $6 mark, they are on the downturn. The average price a month ago was $6.51.

俄罗斯将于周四向美国派遣首艘柴油油轮，目的地为一个未公开的港口。

俄罗斯油轮抵达美国之际，正值美国消费者面临高昂的柴油价格。[图片：David Zalubowski/AP]

俄罗斯副总理亚历山大·诺瓦克周四告诉记者，俄罗斯将向美国运送第一艘柴油油轮，此前俄罗斯与美国总统唐纳德·特朗普达成了一项协议。

该船将载有 4 万吨燃料，但诺瓦克在周三发表讲话时并未透露燃料将运往美国哪个港口。

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10月9日，俄罗斯解除了对柴油出口的禁令。莫斯科最初实施该禁令是为了应对该国因乌克兰领导的无人机袭击而导致的柴油短缺问题，因为袭击阻碍了柴油的生产能力。

尽管俄罗斯柴油产量遭遇挫折，这批货物仍如期交付。本月初，乌克兰国防部表示，无人机袭击导致俄罗斯至少一半的炼油产能瘫痪，迫使俄罗斯主要的柴油生产炼厂减产。

“当然，后续还会有更多物资交付。两国领导人已经达成协议。我们将尽我们所能满足美国的需求，”俄罗斯新闻社援引诺瓦克的话说。

美国特使史蒂夫·威特科夫也表达了同样的观点，他一直在圣彼得堡与俄罗斯总统弗拉基米尔·普京举行会谈。

“我们目前正在准备交付几艘油轮，它们将陆续交付。资金方面也应该到位，”他说道，并补充说，俄罗斯也将能够向美国市场“大量”供应化肥。

美国总统唐纳德·特朗普此前曾表示，莫斯科将出口30万吨（即225万桶），11月份将出口50万吨，此后“立即”将出口100万吨。

美国消费者持续面临高昂的汽油价格，尤其是柴油价格，这在距离中期选举不到两周之际显得尤为紧迫。据美国汽车协会（AAA）的数据显示，柴油平均价格为每加仑6.31美元（每升1.70美元）。虽然价格仍远高于每加仑6美元，但已呈下降趋势。一个月前的平均价格为每加仑6.51美元。