A Ship Carrying Russian Diesel Heads to the US as Ukraine Objects

A large ship carrying Russian diesel fuel has left for the United States, the Russian government announced on Friday. This is the first such shipment since July 2023. The ship is expected to arrive in New York on November 7. The delivery comes after President Donald Trump said he made a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to allow Russian fuel into the U.S., even though Russia is at war with Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed the news, saying, 'The first oil tanker has sailed off to customers, and regular supplies will continue.' Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said earlier this week that the first shipment would carry about 40,000 tons of diesel. That amount equals roughly 300,000 barrels of fuel. To put that in perspective, the United States uses about 4 million barrels of diesel every single day, so this shipment covers only about 7% of one day's worth of fuel.

Energy experts say the deal is unlikely to lower gas prices much for everyday Americans. Even if millions more tons of Russian diesel arrive in the coming months, as Trump has suggested, prices at the pump may not drop noticeably. Trump's supporters say the agreement is meant to help Americans who are struggling with high fuel costs ahead of the midterm elections.

Ukraine is very upset about this deal. The country has been asking other nations to put tighter restrictions, called sanctions, on Russia to cut off the money Russia uses to fund its war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called Trump's decision 'a weak decision by strong partners.' Ukraine has also been using long-range drones to strike Russian oil refineries, which slowed down Russia's ability to produce diesel. Last month, Trump asked Ukraine to stop those attacks.

This new agreement is a big change from a policy Trump recently supported. Just weeks ago, Trump signed a law that could have placed tariffs — extra taxes — of up to 100% on countries that buy the most Russian oil or gas. However, Trump later paused those measures. The deal is also the latest sign of tension between Trump and Zelenskyy, whose relationship has been rocky in recent weeks.