Фото: ust-luga.ru
The first shipments of diesel fuel from Russia to the United States could begin in two to three weeks. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak gave this timeline.
“To make the shipments, a contract needs to be signed, the fuel loaded, a vessel chartered, and the cargo sent to the consumer. All of this takes two to three weeks. Therefore, an agreement probably needs to be concluded more quickly now,” TASS quoted him as saying.
Last week, US President Donald Trump announced that he had reached a fuel deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Following this, the US Treasury Department issued a license authorizing fuel shipments from Russia. Moscow subsequently lifted its ban on diesel fuel exports.
Russia is expected to supply 300,000 tonnes of diesel in October, 500,000 tonnes in November, and 1 million tonnes in December, with the volume potentially rising to 3 million tonnes per month in the future.
At the same time, Novak’s statements today indicate that the Russian fuel market remains under strain. In particular, the country continues to import gasoline.
“We will continue importing at least until the end of the year because we need both to supply the domestic market and to increase reserves, which we reduced during the summer to meet domestic demand. We are now planning import volumes through the end of the year,” he said.
Imported gasoline accounts for around 10% of the Russian market.
In addition, the government plans to ban exports of liquefied petroleum gases (LPG) by non-producers until the end of 2026.
“No decision has been made yet, but given the current situation in the liquefied petroleum gas market, the Energy Ministry is considering this option. We will see what proposals it submits,” Novak said.