Two of the first three tankers carrying Russian diesel to the U.S. have changed course, casting doubt on President Trump’s fuel deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin as legal warnings and political opposition grow.
The deal, announced Oct. 9, weeks before Tuesday’s midterms, was meant to lower fuel prices.
The Treasury Department issued General License 135 the same day, authorizing the sale and import of Russian diesel through April 7.
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U.S. diesel prices remain near record levels.
The national average topped $6 a gallon for the first time Sept. 11. It was about $3.76 when the U.S.-Israel war with Iran began in late February, according to AAA data.
Diesel’s current average is $6.23 a gallon, below its Sept. 22 record high at $6.53.
Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for oil and fuel shipments, has constrained supplies, and U.S.-Iran talks over reopening it are continuing.
The Russia-Ukraine war has also tightened supplies.
Ukrainian drone strikes knocked large amounts of refining capacity in western Russia offline, and Moscow banned fuel exports starting in April. The ban has since been partly lifted.
Ukraine renewed refinery attacks in recent days, hitting the Yaroslavl plant and, according to a Reuters video analysis, appearing to strike Ryazan, one of Russia’s largest cities.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he felt “betrayed” by Mr. Trump’s diesel deal.
Mr. Zelenskyy, European allies and a bipartisan group of lawmakers criticized the arrangement, saying it undermined sanctions on Russia and could help finance its war against Ukraine. Analysts also said the promised volumes were too small to materially change U.S. pump prices.
The Hong Kong-owned, Sierra Leone-flagged tanker Leruo changed its destination signal to Brazil on Monday, the Financial Times reported.
The sanctioned Russian-flagged tanker Talisman reportedly entered the Mediterranean and signaled “for orders” off Algeria.
The third vessel, the Greek-owned Agioi Fanendes, didn’t change course, according to reports.
American buyers have declined to take the cargoes amid legal threats from state and federal officials, The Moscow Times reported.
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill, a Democrat, sent warning letters on Monday to about a dozen port and terminal operators in her state.
She said importing Russian diesel violates the Ending Importation of Russian Oil Act of 2022 and could bring “millions of dollars in penalties,” along with civil and criminal consequences.
The Trump administration’s license authorizes the imports. It’s unclear whether any tanker will try to unload in New Jersey.
In letters dated Oct. 24, a bipartisan group of six senators and one House member, led by Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, demanded that banks and port authorities preserve records of any proposed or actual Russian diesel imports.
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