“The first tanker is scheduled to depart on October 22,” Novak said during a press briefing, specifying that the vessel will carry 40,000 tons of diesel for the United States. He added that additional tankers carrying fuel for the US market are expected to follow.

“Agreements were reached between the leaders of the two countries. We intend to meet the US demand for fuel to the extent of our capabilities,” he emphasized.

Regarding diesel exports to other nations, Novak noted that this would depend on the capacity of Russian refineries.

Nevertheless, the Deputy Prime Minister highlighted that Russia’s refineries are expected to restore full export volumes by the end of the year.

On Wednesday, during a meeting in St. Petersburg with Steve Witkoff—the White House envoy for Ukraine—Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that preparations were currently underway to simultaneously load several tankers with diesel.

“Following the announcement by both countries that supplies would be sent to the United States, diesel prices on global markets fell by five to six percent. We are currently preparing to load several tankers at the same time,” the President declared.

On October 9, Putin and US President Donald Trump held a telephone conversation, after which the US leader announced that Moscow would immediately supply over 300,000 tons of diesel to the US and global markets, with an additional 500,000 tons to follow in November, and another million tons thereafter.

jdt/arm/mem/gfa