What we know
What we know: Tankers carrying Russian diesel change course, raising doubts about shipments to US
Compiled Nov 5
What we know
- Trump announced an agreement with Putin on Oct. 9 to make more than 300,000 metric tons of Russian diesel available to U.S. and global markets
- The U.S. banned Russian energy imports after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine
- Two sanctioned tankers that departed Primorsk last month originally declared U.S. East Coast destinations but changed course, one toward Brazil and one into the Mediterranean
- New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill advised port and terminal operators to turn away ships carrying Russian fuel
- A bipartisan group of senators has urged Trump to negate the deal
- The Treasury Department temporarily authorized Russian diesel transactions until April 7 via an OFAC sanctions exemption
What we don’t know yet
- Neither the White House nor the Kremlin have disclosed whether the agreement was put in writing
- The price, payment terms or participating companies in the deal have not been revealed
- It is not clear if Russian diesel shipments have U.S. buyers yet
- No court has ruled on the dispute over the administration's authority
- The administration official did not specify whether any Russian fuel would reach the U.S. directly
Open questions
- Will any Russian diesel shipment actually reach a U.S. port?
- What are the price and payment terms of the Trump-Putin diesel agreement?
- Will courts rule on whether the administration had authority to issue the sanctions exemption?
- Which companies are participating in the Russian diesel deal?
Drawn from the Associated Press report. “What we don’t know” lists only what the reporting itself flags as unresolved.