EL7.AI
CommoditiesMedium•21 October 2026•
4 min read

Russia Says First Diesel Tanker Bound for U.S. to Depart Tomorrow With 40,000 Tons

Key Facts

1Novak said the first Russian diesel tanker bound for the United States would depart on October 22 with 40,000 tons.
2Russia announced its readiness to provide 300,000 metric tons of diesel to the U.S. market and its partners during October.
3U.S. distillate inventories stood at 104.3 million barrels, a weekly increase of 1.7 million barrels from 102.6 million.
4U.S. distillate inventories remained 9% below their five-year average.

Alexander Novak said in remarks carried by TASS that the first tanker carrying Russian diesel to the United States would leave port on October 22 with 40,000 tons. He added that the process of signing a diesel supply contract between Russia and the United States was "nearing completion." The planned shipment follows the U.S. Treasury Department's issuance of General License 135 covering Russian diesel transactions. The license covers fuel sales, delivery, unloading and imports, according to the department's Office of Foreign Assets Control. But experts cited by Reuters said the diesel deal would do little to lower prices in the United States.

The shipment announcement was preceded by a partial lifting of Russia's diesel export ban, which the Russian government said took effect on October 10, according to TASS. The decision allows 500,000 metric tons of fuel to be supplied to the global market in the first phase. Russia also announced its readiness to provide 300,000 metric tons of diesel to the U.S. market and its partners during October. For shipments to global markets, shipping data cited by Reuters showed a tanker loaded with about 40,000 metric tons of ultra-low-sulfur diesel on October 13. That tanker was bound for Morocco, according to the data reported by the agency.

In the United States, distillate inventories rose to 104.3 million barrels in the week ended October 16, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Inventories stood at 102.6 million barrels the previous week, marking a weekly increase of 1.7 million barrels. Despite the increase, distillate inventories remained 9% below their five-year average, according to the agency's weekly report. U.S. distillate production rose to 5.2 million barrels per day during the same week. Refinery capacity utilization stood at 93.4%, compared with 93.5% the previous week, according to the agency.

U.S. gasoline inventories, meanwhile, recorded a weekly decline, according to the Energy Information Administration's report for the period ended October 16. Inventories stood at 205.3 million barrels, compared with 208.3 million barrels the previous week. The weekly decline in gasoline inventories therefore totaled 3.0 million barrels, according to the agency's official table. U.S. commercial crude oil inventories also fell to 412.5 million barrels during the same period. Commercial crude inventories, which exclude the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, stood at 415.6 million barrels the previous week, according to the agency's data.

The deal overlaps with U.S. efforts to bring Moscow back to negotiations, according to an account Reuters attributed to President Donald Trump's envoys. The envoys told Ukrainian officials that allowing Russian exports was part of an attempt to draw Russia back to the negotiating table. In Washington, lawmakers from both parties said the deal appeared to violate U.S. law banning Russian energy imports until Moscow ends its aggression against Ukraine, according to Reuters. Senators called for "withdrawal from this agreement and revocation of General License 135," saying its proceeds would support Russia's war. Gregory Meeks announced the introduction of a bipartisan bill to block purchases and imports of Russian diesel. The proposal, titled the "Ban Corrupt Oil Deals with Russia Act," remains proposed legislation, according to the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Following the announced October supplies, Novak outlined a path to increase diesel exports over the following months, according to his remarks carried by TASS. He said targeted exports would rise to about 500,000 metric tons in November. The target volume would then rise to a million metric tons in December, according to the schedule he presented. On the U.S. side, authorization for Russian diesel transactions under the license runs through April 7, 2027, according to the Office of Foreign Assets Control. The license specifies that authorization ends at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time that day.