Diesel shipments and post-war trade
A tanker carrying 40,000 metric tons of Russian diesel from the Baltic port of Primorsk is heading to New York following a supply agreement Trump announced on Oct. 9. Moscow partially lifted restrictions on diesel exports after that announcement and permitted the sale of 500,000 metric tons of fuel. Trump said on Oct. 24 that he expects the United States to do business with both Ukraine and Russia once the war ends. He said he wants to "get back to life where Russia and Ukraine make a deal, and then we’d be able to do business with both." This plan to import 900,000 metric tons of Russian diesel in the coming months draws criticism from Ukraine, members of Congress, and European allies because the shipments circumvent sanctions. The shipment marks the first delivery of Russian diesel to the United States since 2022, when Joe Biden banned imports of Russian oil and petroleum products in response to Russia’s war against Ukraine.
| Diesel Import Specification | Data |
|---|---|
| Initial shipment size | 40,000 metric tons |
| Moscow export limit | 500,000 metric tons |
| Total planned imports | 900,000 metric tons |
Political tension and financial claims
Trump argued that Washington should have secured greater financial returns in exchange for the billions of dollars in aid provided to Kyiv during the Joe Biden presidency. "I feel foolish because all you had to do is ask them, and they would have paid. Meaning the EU would have paid," Trump said. This tension follows a rift between Kyiv and Washington involving Starlink access and Patriot air defense interceptor delays. Trump also stepped up his criticism of President Volodymyr Zelensky; he accused him of being unwilling to end the war and called for his replacement. Trump’s decision to resume Russian diesel imports is a poor political move ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections. A Reuters/Ipsos poll found that just 31% of Americans approve of Trump’s performance, which is the lowest approval rating of either of his presidential terms. Registered voters said they would vote for Democrats if congressional elections were held today, with 47% favoring Democrats compared to 35% favoring Republicans, which gives Democrats a 12-point lead and the largest lead of the current election cycle.
