“The first oil tanker has sailed off to customers, and regular supplies will continue,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said without elaborating.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said earlier this week that the first shipment would amount to 40,000 tons of diesel, according to Russia’s Interfax news agency.
Marine intelligence firm Kpler said the vessel was signaling it was headed to New York to arrive Nov. 7 and would be the first Russian diesel delivery to the United States since July 2023.
The abrupt reversal of U.S. sanctions policy on Russia over its invasion of its neighbor was seen as an attempt by Trump to address high fuel prices ahead of the midterm elections.
The U.S. diesel decision caused alarm and dismay in Ukraine, which has pleaded with foreign countries to tighten sanctions on Moscow and deny it revenue for its invasion launched in February 2022.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called Trump’s decision “a weak decision by strong partners.”
The diesel agreement was a sudden policy reversal, coming just weeks after Trump signed into law a sweeping sanctions package that directed him to impose up to 100% tariffs on the top five importers of Russian oil or natural gas. He later put the measures on hold.
