Russia will send its first tanker of diesel from the Trump–Putin fuel deal to the United States on Thursday, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said on Wednesday, as Moscow confirmed that the agreement President Donald Trump announced earlier this month is moving from words to cargo. Novak said the vessel will carry 40,000 tons of diesel and that the paperwork is close to completion, though he did not name the port that will receive it.
"It is expected to depart tomorrow," Novak told reporters, according to Reuters. "We will meet the United States' needs, to the extent of our capabilities."
The sailing follows talks in St. Petersburg on Wednesday between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, where the shipments were discussed on camera. Putin told Witkoff that Russia is preparing diesel shipments to the United States, with the first tanker of about 40,000 tons expected to leave within days and more to follow once the financial arrangements are completed. He said the tankers would go "one after another," and made clear the deal still hinges on payment: "The financial component should be provided," Putin said.
Witkoff thanked Putin for lifting the restrictions, in remarks shown on Russian television. "That's an example of us working together. I want to thank you for that," he said.
"That's an example of us working together. I want to thank you for that." — Steve Witkoff, to Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg
The deal began on October 9, when Trump said Russia would export 300,000 tons of fuel to the United States immediately, 500,000 tons in November and one million tons immediately thereafter. Russia partially lifted its ban on diesel exports on October 10, clearing the way for the shipments. Putin also offered fertilizer "in large quantities," adding another piece to an arrangement that has grown out of the same diplomacy as the Ukraine peace talks, where the two sides say progress on a settlement is continuing.
The reason is sitting at American gas pumps. U.S. retail diesel prices have stayed above $6 a gallon since September, squeezing truckers, farmers and every business that moves goods by road. Russian announcements around the deal have already pushed prices down 5 to 6 percent, and supporters of the agreement argue that bringing in new supply will help stabilize prices, support businesses and consumers, and create room for prices to ease further.
The measured view is that a price fall alone does not prove the agreement caused it, and the real effect will depend on how quickly the shipments arrive, how much volume follows the first tanker, and whether the remaining financial arrangements are completed. Analysts are cautious about the scale: Matt Smith, lead oil analyst for the Americas at data firm Kpler, told Reuters the initial 300,000 tons amounts to about 73,000 barrels a day spread over a month — "probably not enough to move global prices much," in his words.
The deal has also strained relations between Washington and Kyiv. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has openly questioned U.S. intelligence sharing and the Starshield satellite contract, and his public complaints have frustrated the White House. Trump and Zelenskyy met in Oslo on Tuesday and, according to reports, reached an agreement to resolve the issues.
"They will go one after another," Putin said of the tankers — and on Thursday, the first one sails.