Three tankers head to the US with Russian diesel, Russia’s deputy premier says
Russia’s deputy prime minister said on October 27 that three ships were underway. They were carrying about 140,000 metric tons under the temporary import deal, with arrivals estimated for November 7–11.
In this article
Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said on October 27 that three tankers carrying Russian diesel were underway toward US ports. Fox News, citing TASS for Novak’s comments, put the cargo in transit at about 140,000 metric tons in its October 27 report.
The ships carry the first authorized cargoes under the October 9 agreement between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, which temporarily permitted Russian diesel imports after a 2022 US ban on Russian energy imports. The administration sought to ease diesel prices amid supply disruptions linked to the war with Iran and Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries.
Cargoes in transit
| Vessel | Destination | Estimated arrival |
|---|---|---|
| Agioi Fanendes | Signaling New York | November 7 |
| Talisman | US East Coast | November 9 |
| Leruo | Signaling the US East Coast | Around November 11 |
Novak said on October 27 that a fourth vessel had not yet left Russia and was expected to depart on October 28.
What the agreement provides
In exchange for Washington permitting certain diesel imports, Moscow agreed to release diesel to global markets at the following volumes:
| Stage | Volume |
|---|---|
| Initial release | 300,000 metric tons |
| November | 500,000 metric tons |
| Thereafter | Potentially 1 million metric tons per month |
Novak defended the arrangement, saying Democratic opponents were acting against the interests of US consumers.
A dispute over import permission
US Senator Richard Blumenthal argues that General License No. 135, issued by the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, cannot override the Ending Importation of Russian Oil Act of 2022. He says the administration needs Congress’s approval to bypass the ban and that the deliveries would violate federal law.
Jeremy Paner, a former US Treasury sanctions official, disagrees. He said a licence can authorize specific transactions while leaving the underlying prohibition in place. The authorization is broad enough to cover these three cargoes even when a vessel is separately sanctioned by the US.
Talisman is sanctioned by the US, UK and European Union. The European Union, UK and Canada sanctioned Leruo in 2025 over alleged deceptive shipping practices involving Russian oil and petroleum products and ship-to-ship transfers at sea.
Paner cautioned that US permission does not authorize European, British or Canadian companies to participate where their own sanctions rules bar involvement. Potentially affected participants include shipping firms, insurers, reinsurers and banks. He also said he did not know whether the entities named by sanctions authorities still owned the vessels.
On October 27, Blumenthal demanded that shipping companies Eastern Mediterranean Maritime Limited and PetroVietnam recall tankers carrying Russian diesel toward US ports. He set an October 31 deadline for details about the companies involved and any federal guidance they had received.
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