Three tankers carrying Russian diesel fuel are heading to the U.S. under a sanctions relief agreement reached by Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. Two of the tankers are under Western sanctions, AFP reports, citing data from the analytics platform Kpler.
According to Kpler, the tankers are in question are the Talisman (IMO number 9292060), which is under U.S. and EU sanctions; Leruo (IMO number 9385831), which is on the U.K. and EU sanctions lists; and Agioi Fanendes (IMO number 9798375). Together, the three vessels are carrying 924,000 barrels of diesel fuel, roughly one-third of the U.S. transportation sector’s daily diesel consumption.
Only one of the three tankers, the Talisman, sails under the Russian flag. Leruo flies the flag of Sierra Leone, and Agioi Fanendes that of Malta. The latter two are going around the UK, avoiding the English Channel.
The ships left the Russian port of Primorsk between Oct. 16 and 22. They are expected to arrive on the U.S. East Coast on Nov. 7–11. Agioi Fanendes is heading to New York; for the other two vessels; the specific destination on the U.S. Atlantic coast is not listed.
On Oct. 27, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak confirmed that three tankers carrying Russian fuel are heading to the U.S., adding that a fourth tanker is due to depart on Oct. 28.
The shipments became possible after Trump and Putin reached an agreement earlier this month to ease U.S. sanctions in exchange for Russia increasing the supply of diesel fuel on the world market. As AFP notes, the decision — which will not deliver appreciable quantities of diesel to the United States, and which will not result in actual deliveries until mid-November — is widely seen as an attempt by Trump to lower fuel prices for American consumers ahead of the U.S. congressional midterm elections scheduled for Nov. 3.
The agreement has drawn sharp criticism from Ukraine and its allies. Volodymyr Zelensky called Washington’s decision “weak,” and relations between Kyiv and Washington have worsened since the deal was struck.
