Tanker carrying Russian diesel already sails toward New York under the Trump-Putin deal

NEW YORK. — The tanker Agioi Fanendes, flying the Maltese flag, is already sailing toward the United States with 40,000 tons of Russian diesel aboard, in the first shipment under the controversial energy deal between Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.

The vessel loaded the ultra-low-sulfur fuel at Russia's Primorsk port on the Baltic Sea on October 22, and is expected to reach New York on November 7, according to shipping data from LSEG cited by Reuters. A Lo Claro reported the announcement on Wednesday.

The dispatch fulfills what Trump and Putin agreed on October 9: 300,000 metric tons immediately, 500,000 in November and one million tons "immediately after."

To enable the operations, the U.S. Treasury Department issued a temporary license authorizing transactions linked to Russian diesel through April 2027. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said Moscow will meet U.S. demand "to the extent of our capabilities" and that Russia could raise its exports to between 3 and 3.5 million tons per month by year-end.

Putin, meeting in St. Petersburg with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, said Russia is loading several vessels that will depart "one after another," and noted that world diesel prices fell between 5% and 6% after the deal.

The Trump administration is seeking to curb rising fuel prices ahead of the November 3 midterm elections. The agreement drew objections from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who argues the sales will give Moscow resources.

Photo: ahoratodos.com / EFE

Source: Reuters.