According to a report by Russian TASS on October 14, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Novak said during the Russian Energy Week Forum that Russia and the United States are negotiating contracts for diesel supply, seeking ways to provide diesel to the United States.
Novak revealed that the Russian Ministry of Energy and the US Department of Energy have begun negotiations. "We need to sign a contract and ensure the shipment of goods, which will take some time," he said. He added that while Russian companies are still subject to sanctions, both sides are working on solutions to enable Russia to export diesel to the US and international markets.
When asked about the delivery method of diesel, Novak replied that according to the relevant agreements, Russia will deliver diesel directly to the United States and international markets.
Ukraine has recently increased its efforts to attack Russian refineries, which has had a certain impact on Russia's energy supply and exports. Speaking about this, Novak said that the maintenance work at some refineries in Russia has been completed, and the supply of energy products has improved significantly compared to one month and two weeks ago. Russia will try its best to restore and increase oil production.
He expects that by the end of this year, Russia will be able to increase diesel exports to 3.5 million tons per month.
However, Novak also pointed out that although Russian refining facilities have taken protective measures, the energy supply situation in the coming period will largely depend on whether the energy infrastructure is attacked by Ukraine.
On October 9th, local time, U.S. President Donald Trump had a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. After the call, Trump announced, "Both sides agreed that Russia will immediately supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel to the United States and the global market. Additionally, 500,000 tons will be supplied in November, followed by another 1 million tons immediately afterward. Furthermore, based on the condition of Russian refineries, Russia will also supply 3 million tons of diesel in the near future."
The U.S. Treasury Department issued a general license on September 9, allowing the import of Russian diesel fuel, with the validity period until April 7, 2027. According to The Associated Press, this is the first time in more than 30 days since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2022 that the U.S. has granted a sanction exemption for Russian diesel fuel.
