Russia will dispatch its first tanker carrying diesel for the United States on Thursday, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said on Wednesday, according to the Vedomosti news outlet, in the first shipment under the deal between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Reuters reported. Novak said the vessel will carry 40,000 metric tons of diesel and that the paperwork on the fuel supply is nearing completion; he did not name the port from which the cargo will leave. "Additional shipments will follow, of course. There were agreements reached between the two leaders. We will meet the United States' needs, to the extent of our capabilities," the RIA news agency quoted Novak as saying.

Russia lifted its self-imposed ban on diesel exports on October 9 — a ban introduced to tackle domestic shortages triggered by Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian refineries — after reaching the deal with Trump to supply diesel to global markets, Reuters reported. Trump has said Russia would immediately export 300,000 metric tons of diesel (yaani about 22.5 lakh barrels), followed by 500,000 tons in November and 1 million tons "immediately thereafter"; for scale, the United States itself exports about 1.5 million barrels of diesel per day (yaani 15 lakh barrels a day). Kpler analyst Michelle Brouhard told Reuters Trump's initial 300,000 tons works out to roughly 73,000 barrels per day over a month and would probably not move global prices much, while US retail diesel has stayed above $6 a gallon since September.

The announcement came as Putin hosted US special envoy Steve Witkoff in St Petersburg on Wednesday. Witkoff thanked Putin for lifting the export restrictions, saying in televised comments: "That's an example of us working together, I want to thank you for that." Putin said global diesel prices dropped by 5%-6% after the agreement was announced, and said Russia could also supply fertiliser to the US market "in large quantities," Reuters reported. The diesel deal has sharply strained ties between Washington and Kyiv since it was announced, and Witkoff arrived in St Petersburg a day after meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Oslo. Sources: Reuters via The Hindu BusinessLine — Russia says it will send first diesel cargo to US on Thursday (Oct 21, 2026); Reuters via DevDiscourse (Oct 21, 2026); OilPrice.com — Russia to Send First Diesel Tanker to U.S. on Thursday (Oct 21, 2026).